Yu-Gi-Oh: Ascension of Souls
by Wyncrer
Summary: Four generations ago, Duel Spirits appeared to join their souls with a select few children, granting the power of Duel Monsters. Now, 17-year-old Ryu Kagayaku, a Spirited, seeks to join Spirited Academy, the best academy in Japan, to hone his dueling skills and to discover the truth behind his unique Spirit. Meanwhile, evil stirs in the shadows. Custom cards up to XYZ. Fully OC.
1. Graduation

_**Chapter One: Graduation**_

* * *

Trees fluttered and birds chirped as Ryu Kagayaku took a drink from his water bottle. Trudging slowly down a brick path, the crisp morning air brushed against his face, the dark frames of the glasses he wore sticking to the sides of his face. Turning a corner, a rush of wind slammed into him, black hair flailing in the wind as he clenched hazel eyes against its power. Once the wind has subsided, he straightened the tie on his uniform and shrugged his backpack into a more comfortable position. There was still plenty of distance to walk yet, and he could not afford to be late to school today.

\- _Are you sure you have prepared enough?_ -

"Yes," Ryu whispered in response to the voice inside his head. "I'm surprised you're even going to watch."

\- _Why wouldn't I?_ -

"You won't show yourself or tell me your name," Ryu said. "You're supposed to work with me as a Spirit, you know."

\- _Who told you that? _-

"Oh, I don't know, maybe every single other person who has one," Ryu muttered. "When will you show yourself?"

\- _When the time is right_ -

Ryu shook his head in disbelief. Always that same line, as if his Spirit was a broken record. Ever since he had first spoken with the Spirit when he was little more than six years old, Ryu had never been able to coax an appearance or a name out of it, and this made him unique even amongst those with Spirits. Ever since the first one appeared a little over four generations ago, only one in every 50,000 newborns ended up having a Spirit appear before them and join with the child. However, every single one on record, apart from Ryu, it seemed, knew the name and the appearance of their Spirit, and Ryu felt his teeth grit just thinking about it. No matter. It wasn't something he could think about now.

The train of thought had chewed up enough time that Ryu found himself walking through the front gates of his school as he snapped back to reality. The carparks nearby were full to the brim, as was to be expected for the graduation day of the seniors. His parent's car would be somewhere in there, having opted to remain behind and walk the short distance to school as a means of calming his nerves for what was to come. It had been successful, if only because Ki, as he had come to call his Spirit, had distracted him. Wondering whether or not Ki would try and help him today, Ryu ignored the glances that many of the other students were giving him and headed for the reception.

"Ah, Ryu, good to see you've made it," said the lady at the counter, clicking away at something on her computer screen. "Please, head straight on through to the gym. I will let Mr. Kengen know you have arrived. Good luck today!"

"Thanks," Ryu said.

The gym itself wasn't far from the reception, Ryu weaving through a few of the different classrooms without incident to soon find himself sheltered within the boys changerooms. Having asked his friends not to speak with him this morning, he was glad to see they had respected his wishes, only a couple of them sending good luck messages to his phone. A slight smile grew over his face as he switched the phone off and placed it within his bag, drawing out from it his duel disk.

A sleek design, Ryu had opted in for the new model that the government had released to all registered Spirited a few months ago. Black, there was a horizontal compartment right above his arm for his cards to go into, and a small half-sphere of glass protruding from it away from his body, where the dueling board itself would appear from the moment the match began. As he slotted his cards into their holster, it still bothered him slightly that they had allowed a sanctioned match within the gymnasium. He had no doubt there would be dampeners installed to mitigate the impacts for those not participating in the duel, but he also knew how aggressive the duels could get.

Rolling his arm around to ensure the disk felt comfortable on his arm, Ryu walked over to one of the mirrors and straightened himself up, resetting his tie and running his hands through his hair to try and get it to sit just right. Presentation was important at events like this, as there was no telling who would be watching on, especially if the school had given approval for the event to be televised. Glancing at himself in the mirror, he noted that the uniform was starting to get a little tight on his tall, decently muscular body. While it was only to be expected given the expectations placed upon the Spirited to get stronger in order for their Spirits to grant them stronger and more powerful cards, Ryu knew that his parents also weren't keen on spending money unnecessarily. In the back of his mind, he suspected that was the reason for the slightly too small outfit more than anything else.

"Early as always, Ryu," came a voice from behind him.

Glancing through the mirror, Ryu saw a familiar figure behind him. "Of course, Kenji," Ryu said to the blonde of similar stature. "Yogan with you?"

"No," Kenji said, placing his pack near Ryu's. "What about Ki?"

\- _I'm here_ –

"He's been quite distracting today," Ryu replied, earning a huff of disappointment in his head. "Can't believe we're finally graduating."

"I can, and I can't wait," Kenji said with a grin. "Did you hear? There's going to be a scout from S.A here today."

Ryu felt a breath catch in his throat. "How do you… right. Your mum's a teacher."

"That's right, so don't think for a second I'm going to go easy on you today," Kenji said. "This is my ticket into S.A, and I've been training ever since this duel got proposed six months ago."

"You must have gotten a lot stronger since our last duel, then," Ryu said.

Kenji grinned. "That's right."

Ryu finally turned around, looking Kenji in the eye. "Good, because I've been training too," he said, his gaze unwavering. "I want to get into S.A too, and I won't be letting you stand in my way."

Spirited Academy, or S.A as the general public had taken to calling it, was the first Duel School to appear in Japan after the arrival of Spirits. With the genesis of duels came the quick realisation that duels caused real damage, and while governments worldwide quickly placed restrictions upon the usage of the Spirited in variety of different forms, the consensus had been that the entertainment provided by the battles was a spectacle all should be allowed to enjoy. Thus, Duel Schools had popped up all over the globe as, if Ryu recalled correctly, the number of registered Spirits currently sat at nearly 160,000 worldwide, and around 2600 within Japan. Given S.A only accepted twenty new people of all ages to its program every year from across the country, if there really was a scout for them in the audience, Ryu had to prove himself today.

An alarm went off in Kenji's bag. "It's nine," he said, taking a deep breath before extending a hand. "Let the best man win."

Ryu took it. "Let the best man win."

* * *

As the clapping for the latest presentation subsided, Ryu and Kenji watched from their position just inside the race into the gym as their principal, Mr. Kengen, moved to take the mic that was placed in the centre of the gym. Usually five basketballs courts wide, the two on the far ends, as well as half of the second and fourth courts, had been outfitted with stands allowing for nearly one thousand parents, siblings, members of the faculty and others to be present for the graduation ceremony of the seniors. Given the situation, though, and from the appearance of cameras all around the stadium, Ryu tried his best to steady his breath. It was time for the main event.

"What a wonderful presentation that was," Mr. Kengen said. "But now, ladies and gentleman, finally, we come to the event you've all been waiting for. And I would like to welcome all of those at home, who join us today on this momentous occasion, and celebrate two incredibly gifted young men."

A roar erupted from the crowd. "Here we go," Kenji whispered, adjusting the microphone that he wore on his collar, identical to Ryu's.

"As you all know, at the age of six, there is a tiny portion of our population who are joined by a Spirit and grow to become some of the strongest and most entertaining people on the planet," Mr. Kengen said. "And our simple, small high school was graced with the presence of not one, but _two _of these Spirited, both of whom you've already seen amongst the graduating class in this morning's presentations. And they've agreed, with the approval of the government, to take their class out with a bang and duel for us right here, right now!"

Another roar.

\- _Break a leg_ -

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls around the country, can you please join me in welcoming two prodigious talents, two graduates in Ryu Kagayaku and Kenji Shinja!"

With a nod to each other, the pair walked out into the applause. Waving a hand at all those present, as Ryu headed for the far end of the gym where he had elected to go to, he saw his parents right at the back of the left stands, noting the tears his Mum was failing to hold back. A smile grew across his face at the sight of this, only noting the dampeners placed around the edge of the open area as he reached the far end of the gym and turned around. Flicking a switch on his disk, he heard a slight crackle from his mic, tucked neatly into the collar of his shirt, as it rumbled alive, connecting him and Kenji to the same speaker system Mr. Kengen had been using just before.

"We had better not keep our audience waiting, Ryu," Kenji said, his voice echoing throughout the gym for all to hear. "Would you like to get us started?  
Ryu readied his disk, a beam of hard black light. "It would be my genuine pleasure."

* * *

**_DUEL!_**

"I'll start things off by summoning the Psychic monster, **Reiki Beast!** (Lvl: 3/**ATK: 1400**/DEF: 800)," Ryu said, placing the card on the disk.

The crowd was in awe as a wolf, as tall as Ryu was, appeared from the void onto the field in front of him. With large claws and gnashing teeth, the light grey fur of the wolf was parted near all of its moving joints, like its knees, shoulders and tail, the fur replaced by the sheen of white metal with a glowing green circle inside, the tail itself mostly green with a few white spots all over it.

"I place one card face down," Ryu said. "Your move, Kenji."

* * *

_Ryu – 4000 LP/Hand – 3/Field – Beast, one face-down_

**_Kenji – 4000 LP/Hand – 5/Field – nil_**

* * *

Ryu knew Kenji's deck like the back of his hand, and he knew that Kenji had the same knowledge of his deck. Since the two had grown up together, they had both shared any new cards their Spirits had shared with them almost instantly, even getting to the point where they would build strategies together to allow each other to get stronger. While heir mutual goal had always been to get into S.A once their Spirits appeared, it was only in the past six months had they not shared any new developments, as both had known there had been a pretty high chance of this duel not only being allowed, but also that those from S.A would be watching in one form or another. Ryu felt his mouth curl somewhat. It would be hard for Kenji to surprise him, and so he had to be ready for whatever the blonde would throw at him.

"Cautious as always, Ryu. My turn!" Kenji said, drawing a card. "I'll summon the Pyro monster, **Dormant Soldier **(Lvl: 4/**ATK: 1700**/DEF: 1400) in attack!"

Appearing in a similar manner to Ryu's monster, the soldier appeared not too dissimilar from what one would expect from a front-line soldier today, rifle and all. However, the Soldier appeared to be made of cooled lava, blackened earth that had a deep orange-red glow coming from within, creeping out through cracks in the black skin like veins across its entire body.

"Battle! **Dormant Soldier**, attack **Reiki Beast**!" Kenji commanded.

The soldier raised its rifle, lining up a shot on the wolf. Sensing hostility, the wolf locked eyes with the soldier and charged, but three quick shots to the head and body caused the wolf to crumple, disappearing in an explosion of yellow data as the crowd erupted from seeing the first bit of action in the duel.

"**Reiki Beast**'s monster effect activates!" Ryu said, his LP dropping to 3700. "And while you know what that does, Kenji, I have a surprise in store, as I chain to its effect the trap card **Telepathic Power**!"

"You tricked me!" Kenji yelled.

"I knew you'd try and test the waters on your first turn, Kenji, so I spoke to one of the local Duel Schools about getting some extra support for my deck, and this was one of those cards!" Ryu said. "**Telepathic Power** says, if a Psychic monster I control is destroyed by battle because you attacked it, I can target and destroy that monster, and gain Life equal to its ATK on the field!"

"I won't let you, Ryu!" Kenji said. "I activate a trap card from my hand, **Dormant Protection**!"

\- _That's new_ -

"If I control a **Dormant** monster, I can activate this card from my hand, and if played, this turn all **Dormant** monsters I control cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects!" Kenji said.

From the point where Ryu's wolf had landed, a spear of green light emerged and careened towards the soldier. However, just before impact, a blue wall of light appeared between the light and its target, the wall dissipating the attack without any hint of damage to Kenji's monster.

"Well played, Kenji. However, **Beast** still resolves, and if it is sent to the grave, I gain 1000 LP," Ryu said, his LP climbing to 4700.

"I'm aware of what it does, Ryu," Kenji said. "I set one card face-down. Your move, Ryu!"

* * *

**_Ryu – 4700 LP/Hand – 3/Field – nil_**

_Kenji – 4000 LP/Hand – 3/Field – Soldier, one face-down_

* * *

"Let's get things moving. My turn!" Ryu said, drawing. _That's better. _"I activate the effect of **Reiki Trancer** in my hand! By paying 500 LP, I can Special Summon it from my hand! Appear, the Tuner monster, **Reiki Trancer **(Lvl: 1/ATK: 300/**DEF: 300**)!"

As soon as the card was placed on the disk, a rather thing figure appeared, draped in white and green robes, and with what appeared to be some kind of virtual reality headset attached to the bald figure's head. White with green outlines that followed the seam of the headset, the figure was not that imposing, but drew a murmur from the crowd due to its appearance.

"I will then also summon **Reiki Regulator** (Lvl: 4/**ATK: 1800**/DEF: 1500) to my field!" Ryu said, watching Kenji closely as the new monster, a blonde woman also draped in white robes with green lining appeared on his field. "I activate **Regulator**'s effect which allows me to add any **Reiki** monster from deck to hand, so long as I pay LP equal to the added monster's Level times 200. I add **Reiki Flipper**, a Level 4, meaning I take 800 damage!"

"I activate **Dormant Soldier**'s monster effect!" Kenji said, earning a scowl from Ryu. _I knew it. _"Once per turn, during either player's turn, if you activate a card or effect, **Soldier **can burn you for 300 damage for each monster you control! Go, **Soldier**!"

Bracing himself by crossing his arms, Ryu grunted slightly as two bullets hit a forearm each, lowering his LP to 3600. While ordinarily the bullets would have been slightly less painful than a paintball shot, the dampeners also took off some of the brunt, although Ryu was curious to see if any bruises would come up from the shots. As Regulator's effect resolved and his LP dropped further to 2800, Ryu noted that Kenji held one card separate from the rest of his hand. _So, he does have it._

"I'm not done, Ryu!" Kenji said. "I activate the effect of **Dormant Scout** in my hand! If a **Dormant** monster I control activates its effect, I can summon it from my hand before adding any one **Dormant** card from my deck to my hand! Appear, **Dormant Scout**! (Lvl: 2/ATK: 1100/**DEF: 500**)."

As a man draped in leather armour but with the same aesthetic look as **Soldier **appeared beside the rifleman, Ryu began to assess his options. He knew what the card Kenji was searching would be, if he didn't have it in his hand already. Either way, Kenji getting off his small combo did not bode well for him, but he couldn't afford to back down now. With the whole country and a scout from S.A watching, now was not the time for hesitation.

"I add **Carinthia, the Dormant Dragon** from my deck to my hand," Kenji said, adding the card. "I'm sure you know what that means, Ryu."

"I do, Kenji," Ryu said. "I activate **Trancer**'s effect! By declaring a Level from 2 to 4, I can make **Trancer** the declared Level until the end of this turn by paying LP equal to the declared level times 200, and I choose Level 4!"

"I reveal the Quick-Play spell, **Dormant Eruption**!" Kenji interrupted.

"You're playing that now?" Ryu asked quizzically. _He knows what's coming. Why would he do that?_

Kenji just smiled. "**Eruption** causes all the on-field effects of all the **Dormant** monsters to trigger again, and while **Scout** does not have an on-field effect, **Soldier** does! So, here's another 600 points of damage!"

Weathering the two shots again, Ryu felt himself loosing his breath ever so slightly as the bullets and the damage from his own monster's effect lowered his LP from 2800 to 1400. Glancing over at his parents before the smoke cleared, he could see his father with one arm around his mum as she sat there with clenched fists. She always had been one to worry when Ryu dueled, but it didn't matter too much. As the game was right now, he was in control.

"I think you know what's coming, Kenji," Ryu said. "I tune the now Level 4 **Reiki Trancer** with my Level 4 **Reiki Regulator**! Energy within, give birth to a champion of passion! Become the fire that lights the path! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 8! **Reiki Warrior**! (**ATK: 2500**/DEF:2000)."

Two became one, **Trancer** exploding into green rings that formed around **Regulator**. Morphing into a pillar of white light, the pillar engulfed the rings, and from the light came **Warrior**, a man that was over two metres tall, tanned, and wearing nothing but simple monk robes of the same design as **Regulator**'s, yet different. The robes amounted to little more than a skirt, with fabric extending upward and wrapping around his left shoulder, half its muscular chest open to the world. With bare arms and simple sandals on its feet, flowing grey hair past his shoulders, and brilliant green eyes, the appearance of the monster earned a cheer from the crowd watching on.

"**Regulator**'s effect activates!" Ryu said. "If it is used as material for the summon of a **Reiki** monster, I gain 600 LP! And that's not all! If it is Synchro Summoned, and my LP is lower than my opponent's, **Warrior** gains ATK equal to the difference between our LP's!"

"That's not enough to beat me this turn, Ryu," Kenji said.

"I'm aware, Kenji," Ryu replied as **Warrior**'s ATK rose to 5100, before **Regulator** resolved and lifted his LP back up to 2000. "But that doesn't matter to me right now. Battle! **Reiki** **Warrior**, attack his **Dormant Soldier**! Spirit Fist!"

"Not so fast, Ryu! I activate the graveyard effect of **Dormant** **Protection**!" Kenji said. "If a **Dormant** monster I control would be destroyed by battle, I can banish it instead, also I take no battle damage from that battle!"

_It had that effect?_ Ryu could only watch on as **Warrior** leapt forward, charging forward with his right fist wreathed in green energy. **Soldier** braced for the attack, and as the blow landed, a gust of wind erupted from the force of the blow, forcing Kenji to shield himself as **Soldier** was pushed back a few metres, yet coming out of the attack completely unharmed. With a huff, **Warrior** returned to his former position, the energy dissipating from his fist.

"A powerful new addition to your deck, that card," Ryu said.

"I told you, I've been training for this moment. I will defeat you, Ryu!" Kenji declared.

"Not if I beat you first," Ryu said. "I place two cards face-down. Try your best, Kenji!"

* * *

_Ryu – 2000 LP/Hand – 1/Field – Warrior, two face-downs_

**_Kenji – 4000 LP/Hand – 3/Field – Soldier, Scout_**

* * *

"My turn, draw!" Kenji said, wasting no time as he separated one card in his hand once again. "I release **Soldier** and **Scout** in order to Tribute Summon! Descend, **Carinthia, the Dormant Dragon**! (Lvl: 8/**ATK: 3000**/DEF:2500)."

Vanishing from the head down in a cascade of yellow data, a portal appeared just off the ceiling of the gym, and Carinthia appeared, the heat coming from the dragon palpable even before it appeared. A huge body, its four legs rippled with muscle as they slammed into the gym floor, eyes ablaze with fire as it roared, deafening most of those in attendance as it spread its wings, wide enough to reach from stand to stand on either side of the gym. Settling down after being summoned, its tail wrapped around behind Kenji, and smoke huffed from its mouth.

"Are you ready, Ryu?" Kenji asked, earning a rise from the crowd.

"Try me, Kenji," Ryu said.

Kenji smiled. "I activate the spell **Dormant** **Draining**!" he said, revealing the spell. "I halve your **Warrior's** attack and grant the amount lost to my dragon!"

"Impressive, Kenji," Ryu said as **Carinthia** rose to 5650 ATK while **Warrior** fell to 2650. "Your training has really paid off."

"Battle!" Kenji declared. "**Carinthia**, attack his **Reiki Warrior** and end this duel! Bright Blaze!"

\- _Not good_ \- The words from Ki echoed in his head as the fire brimming beneath the black lava scales of Kenji's dragon began to glow hotter and brighter, its mouth agape in preparation to wipe his entire side of the field away. Ki was right. If this attack landed, Ryu would lose, and that was something he couldn't afford to let happen. Fortunately, though, he had been prepared for this, and so Ryu made his move.

"I activate the trap card **Reiki Divergence**!" he said, revealing it. "I can banish one Reiki Extra Deck monster from my field, and then re-summon any or all of its materials from either the banished zone or the graveyard!"

"I won't let you!" Kenji said. "**Carinthia's** monster effect activates! Once per turn, during either player's turn, if you activate a card or effect, I can destroy one monster you control and give **Carinthia** an extra 800 ATK until the end of the turn!"

Closing its mouth, the dragon began to hover in the air, beating its winds so strongly that, even with the dampeners, the entire crowd had to hold onto their seats as Ryu tried desperately to stay on his feet. His **Warrior**, however, was not so lucky, and was sent flying into a portal that opened behind Ryu, removing him from the field. As Carinthia landed, now with 6450 ATK, Ryu was left staring down the barrel of defeat with a wipe open field. _I could activate its on-destruction effect to bring something back, but…_

"This duel is mine, Ryu!" Kenji said. "**Carinthia**! Bright Blaze!"

_Got him. _"I activate my other face-down, **Reiki Resurrection**!" Ryu said, earning a gasp from the crowd. "I can summon one banished **Reiki** monster, or a **Reiki** from my graveyard, and it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn! Return and protect me, **Reiki** **Trancer**! (Lvl: 2/ATK: 300/**DEF: 300**)."

Just as **Carinthia** was going to attack, Trancer appeared in front of Ryu, skinny arms crossed in preparation to take the attack. However, after a moment's pause where Ryu could see flames burning in the back of **Carinthia's** throat, Kenji waved her down.

"There's no point in attacking for no reason," Kenji said. "I end my turn there. Make the best of this turn, Ryu. It will be your last!"

* * *

**_Ryu – 2000 LP/Hand – 1/Field – Trancer_**

_Kenji – 4000 LP/Hand – 2/Field – Carinthia_

* * *

_He's right, _Ryu thought to himself. The monster in his hand could help, but what he had access to right now was not enough to beat Kenji, and he knew he would need to. Kenji was not one to hold back unnecessarily, so he knew the two remaining cards in his hand had to be combo pieces he would more than likely be able to use, and that they weren't used last turn only because he thought he had game. If Ryu didn't do something this turn, it was game over.

"My turn, draw!" Ryu said, eyeing off the card. _Got it._

"Come at me, Ryu!" Kenji declared. "Show the country what you can do!"

"I activate the effect of **Reiki Trancer**, and make it Level 4 by paying 800 LP!" Ryu said.

"**Carinthia's** monster effect activates!" Kenji countered. "Destroy his monster, my dragon!"

"I won't let you, Kenji!" Ryu said. "This triggers the effect of **Reiki Resurrection** in my graveyard! I can banish both it and one **Reiki **monster, in this case **Reiki Beast**, in order to prevent **Trancer** from being destroyed by your effect!"

Kenji's dragon beat its wings once more, but this time, Trancer was able to weather the assault and kept his feet just as Ryu did, his LP dropping to 1200 as the dragon returned to the ground beside Kenji.

"I activate the effect of **Reiki Flipper** in my hand!" Ryu said. "If my LP changes while this card is in my hand or graveyard, I can pay 800 LP to Special Summon it, although it is banished when it leaves the field. Appear, **Reiki Flipper**! (Level: 4/**ATK: 1700**/DEF: 1600)."

As his LP dropped to a measly 400, the new monster appeared on his field. Another woman, she was draped in robes that covered her entire body, and she wore a blindfold that held her hair back. However, unlike the other monsters before her, her left half had black hair, the robes were black with red lining, and in her right hand she held a ball of green energy. Her left was the opposite, white robes with green lining, but with a ball of red energy in the outstretched left hand.

"Now, let's try this one more time!" Ryu said. "I tune the now Level 4 **Reiki Trancer** with my Level 4 **Reiki Flipper**! Energy within, give birth to a champion of passion! Become the fire that lights the path! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 8! **Reiki Warrior**! (**ATK: 2500**/DEF:2000)."

As an additional copy of the Level 8 Synchro found its way onto the field, Ryu looked over at Kenji and noted the man had both of his fists clenched. He did feel bad about having to do this now, especially with what the two would be doing tomorrow, but he didn't have a choice. If he wanted to be the best, he couldn't afford to hold anything back.

"The difference between our LP is currently 3600, so **Warrior's** ATK becomes 6100!" Ryu announced, green energy surrounding the monster as its stat went up.

"That's still not enough to defeat me!"

"I know, but that's what this is for," Ryu said, holding up the final card in his hand. "I activate the equip spell, **Psychic Sword**! Equippable only to a Psychic monster, it gives that monster extra ATK for every point of difference between our LP, up to a maximum of 2000! And since the difference is 3600…"

"**Warrior** gains 2000 ATK," Kenji said in a more subdued tone.

"This is it!" Ryu said, as his ace gripped the blade, a detailed hilt of silver covered in blue lined spheres, in one hand, the green energy beam that was the blade itself extending as his attack rose to 8100. "**Reiki Warrior**, end this duel! Sacred Spirit Slice!"

**Carinthia** roared as **Warrior** pounced forward, dragging the sword behind him before leaping into the air, high above the dragon. Rearing back onto its hind legs and using its tail for balance, the dragon let out a mighty roar as fire erupted from its mouth upward at the warrior. Undeterred, he swung down hard with the blade, and a burst of green energy tore away from the blade, arcing out and splitting the flames in two, the blast of energy cutting through the dragon from head to tail like butter. With one final roar, **Carinthia** exploded, and the explosion sent Kenji flying backward, smashing into the far wall with a rather loud thud. As **Warrior** landed back on the gym floor, so did Kenji, two feet on the ground before falling onto one knee, uniform scuffed and breathing deeply as his LP hit zero.

* * *

From complete silence came a deafening cry of congratulations as the crowd erupted, **Reiki Warrior** and the blade disappearing as Ryu lowered his duel disk, flicked off his microphone and headed over to Kenji, offering him a hand to his feet. Holding Ryu's gaze for a moment, Kenji shook his head and smiled as he grabbed Ryu's hand and got himself back onto two feet.

"Do you think they liked it?" Kenji asked him quietly, Ryu noting that he too had switched his microphone off.

Ryu looked around. "I think we did alright," he said, waving to the crowd. "You're lucky I drew poorly."

"Don't give me that," Kenji scoffed. "You know I did as well. Next time, you won't be so lucky."

Looking through the crowd, Ryu could tell that his mum and father were cheering the hardest at his win. He knew they had had to deal with so much pressure once it was revealed he had been partnered with Ki. Because of how rare children becoming a Spirited was, news interviews, publicity and paparazzi had plagued their lives ever since Ki had come to him, and only now were they beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Ryu would be stuck with it for the rest of his life, but for his parents, this was the light at the end of a very long tunnel.

"What an amazing experience!" Mr. Kengen said, reappearing from the edge of the stands with a microphone in hand. "Let's give them one last round of applause!"

The crowd erupted again. "This I could get used to," Kenji muttered.

"And with that, both our graduation ceremony, and our broadcast to the entire country, must come to an end. For all those watching at home, we must bid you goodbye, and for those here in person, we have morning tea waiting just outside. Thank you, and goodbye!"

Another eruption from the crowd as they all clapped, and both duelists knew this was their cue to leave. Waving one last time to the crowd, the both headed down the race from which they had come, both breathing a sigh of relief once they were out of range of everyone else.

Realising both of them were sweating heavily from the exhaustion, they agreed to part ways for the time being and have a shower. Taking a spare uniform and the towel he had brought with him for just such an occasion, Ryu stepped into one of the showers and blasted himself with cool, refreshing water.

\- _That went well -_

"Yes," Ryu whispered. He reckoned it did, too.

* * *

**_Coming Soon - An Offer from S.A_**


	2. An Offer from SA

_**Chapter Two: An Offer from S.A**_

* * *

Feeling refreshed from the shower, Ryu adjusted his tie one last time in the mirror before wiping the small remains of steam off his glasses with his shirt. Joining Kenji, who had been waiting for him near the entrance to the changerooms, the two headed out to join the other graduates and their families in the grassed area between the gym and the main car park area. A few claps came from those who recognised them join the others, but it was three students, one male and two females, who seemed most excited of all to see them, and came running over.

"Kenji! Ryu!" shouted one of the girls. "Congratulations!"

Ryu felt himself take one step back to brace as the girl bear hugged him. "Thanks, Hayami," he said, noticing Kenji had had to similarly catch himself as the other girl, Masumi, had done the same.

"Come here you lot!" said Akio, a rather tall man, who gripped all four of them within his arms. "What a performance! I thought for sure Kenji had you, Ryu."

"Hey, if it wasn't for that new card, I did!" Kenji protested.

"And Ryu would've had you a turn earlier had it not been for your new card, Kenji," Masumi reminded him, the quintet now separated from one another. "I still can't believe it was broadcast across Japan."

"I hear there was a scout for S.A in the audience, too," Akio said quietly. "You two may get lucky."

"Here's hoping," Kenji said. "By the way, which way to the food?"

Hayami chuckled slightly. "Of course all you can think about is food," she said, brushing her hair out of her face. "Come on. I think your families are waiting for you."

Sure enough, as they weaved their way through the mass of bodies towards the largest of the tables laid out with food aplenty, Ryu spotted his parents, Saku and Itsuki, chatting away with Kenji's mother and father. With the emergence of the Spirited nature of their children, the two families, who had found themselves living quite close together, had ended up being drawn to one another. Looking back on it now with more mature eyes, Ryu was glad there hadn't been a clash of personalities among them. That said, the reality of the situation they had found themselves in had probably contributed somewhat to the relaxed nature of the relationship between the two families. After all, having someone else there to help with dealing with all the pressures that came from raising a Spirited had been a blessing for both families.

"Ryu!" his mum shouted as she saw he was heading over. "Well done! I can't believe you were on national television!"

"Thanks, mum," Ryu said, scratching the base of the back of his neck with his right hand. "It wasn't just me out there, though."

"Yes, Kenji did a fantastic job as well, didn't he?' Kenji's father, Nozomu, said with a clap on his son's shoulder. "Although, he told me there was no way he could lose!"

"He told us the same thing," Hayami said. "Ryu has a three-win lead on you now, Kenji."

"All the more reason to pummel him next time," Kenji said with a grin in Ryu's direction.

"Now, now, don't go starting another duel out here," Itsuki, Ryu's father, said. "Besides, you two must be hungry after that. Let's eat and celebrate."

Celebrate they did, digging into the plethora of different cakes, biscuits, and other such sweety treats that the school had provided for them. Akio, Hayami and Masumi stayed for a little while, discussing with Kenji and Ryu the duel itself in greater detail. They soon left, though, and headed back to meet with their respective families, leaving Kenji and Ryu with their own, as the six had found seats near the gym-side edge of the gathering to relax and talk further over freshly poured cups of tea. Kenji was animated as usual, with those present discussing the presence of the S.A scout for the duel. As revealed to Ryu earlier, Kenji's mother and teacher at the high school, Hana, had either found out or been told an S.A scout would be at the duel today. Ryu guessed there must have been only so much that could be seen of the duo over the broadcast, and so the academy had taken the opportunity to send someone out for a closer look.

\- _They will have to give you an offer now_ -

"Why's that?" Ryu whispered, quiet enough for the parents to not hear above their conversation, although he did get a quick, knowing glance from Kenji.

\- _S.A has always shown preference to up and comers, and you won today_ -

"Just," Ryu muttered. "That may not have been enough."

\- _What about Kenji, then?_ -

"No idea," Ryu admitted. "Guess we will find out."

While the parents continued to chatter away, Ryu's mind drifted, sipping away on a cooling cup of hot chocolate he had gotten instead of a cup of tea. Ki did have a point, as it had long been known that it was easier to train and grow Spirited straight out of high school, just the same as any other sport or most professions. Often, most of the older Spirited either didn't try and grow their connection and bond with their Spirit for one reason or another, or ended up using their gifts for purposes beyond dueling. One Spirited Ryu knew of, for example, had gone on to take advantage of the monsters he summoned having real weight and being able to do real damage to help in the demolition industry. Another had gone on to become one of the leading members of underwater animal research and conservation across the globe thanks to the nature of his Spirit and its tie to the water.

It was a question Ryu had thought about often, whether or not going to S.A and focussing on becoming a duelist was the best option for him. However, as time had passed, and he had come to accept that Ki would not show himself nor give his real name, he realised the only chance he had of finding out the truth of the Spirit that had bonded itself to him was to get into Spirited Academy. Being a beacon for the best, brightest and strongest Spirited from across the country, it was the best chance he had of finding someone who could help him find out exactly what Ki was waiting for. What he was looking for.

"Ryu? You alright?" his mum, Saku, asked.

Ryu perked his head up. "Yes, sorry. Just talking with Ki," he said, earning a nod from her.

"Still nothing?" Nozomu asked.

"Not on that front, no," Ryu said. "Hopefully S.A will be able to give me some answers, since Ki doesn't seem to want to give any."

"Ah, don't give him too much grief," Kenji said. "At least he doesn't berate you like Yogan does."

"He wasn't happy with today I take it," Itsuki said.

Kenji shook his head. "He hasn't said anything. Yet."

Looking around, Ryu could see that some of the families were beginning to disperse, the food getting low and the predicted cloud cover beginning to blow its way over them. Deciding it was probably time for them to head off as well, the two families said their final goodbyes before leaving. Shrugging his bag onto his shoulder, Ryu felt the familiar clunk of his disk against his back. While he preferred the feeling of having it on his arm, it wasn't something he liked advertising to the general public. Only the Spirited wore duel disks, and so wearing one only made him more recognisable than he already was. That was not something he wanted to invite upon himself.

Getting into the car, Ryu slid into the back seat and put his bag on the seat next to him, his mother getting into the driver's seat while his father took the passenger side. Just as the doors closed, the first droplets of rain began to patter against the windshield. While his father cracking a joke about their luck, Ryu rolled his eyes at the predictability of the joke before pulling out his phone, putting his headphones in and he began to scroll through the updates on his phone. One in particular caught his interest; a news report from less than an hour ago from one of the major news stations from within Tokyo.

"Horror scenes in Nerima this morning as a Spirited began attacking civilians and policeman alike," the reporter said. "The individual, whose identity has yet to be revealed by police, was reported in the early hours of the morning by onlookers, who called him erratic and he was allegedly grabbing at people and others as they walked past. And then, just before nine this morning, this happened."

The screen switched from the reporter to show some hand-held camera footage of someone nearby. The Spirited appeared to be grabbing his head, duel disk on his left arm, before a black aura began to envelop him. It then exploded outward in shards of what looked like black glass, impaling the three closest people to him, although the news had done their best to blur the injuries. Moments after, a monster appeared beside him, standing well over three times as tall as the Spirited, wreathed in smoke with a body of fire. The monster lashed out, smashing into buildings and hurtling fire at another as people screamed and ran away from the scene.

"Fortunately, Japan's number one duelist, Taiki Muteki, arrived on the scene only moments later," the reporter said after the camera had cut back to her. "In an impressive display of strength, he was able to subdue the Spirited and hand him over to police."

The vision cut back to a different person's video this time, showing Taiki already in front of the man. The duelist was actually shorter than Ryu, but was thinly muscled to the point where Ryu wasn't sure the man even knew what the word fat meant. Wearing a normal white dress shirt and black pants, it appeared Taiki had been in the area by pure coincidence. Summoning a monster of his own, a short battle ensued, but the crazed Spirited's monster was soon defeated, allowing Taiki to pin him to the ground and rip the duel disk from the man's arm, ending the fight.

"The incident, which resulted in the destruction of three buildings and the death of five people, is the fifth this year, up from two last year," the reported continued. "It has brought some to question if this is the start of a worrying trend of rogue Spirited, while others, such as Spirited Academy, have released statements saying that this is nothing more than an abnormal bump in activity. And now, here's the weather with…"

Ryu flicked the news off and began to play some music through his headphones as the rain began to come down harder than before. It was true there had been a worrying number of incidents involving Spirited this year. After all, while duels allowed for Spirited to show off their skills, it was entirely possible for any one of them at any moment to summon their monsters and go on a rampage if they so pleased, as their monsters could do real damage. It meant for duelists like Taiki Muteki, who stood at the top of the dueling world, they would also be the ones who had to deal with rogue Spirited as they popped up, as conventional weaponry had long since been disproved as a viable strategy against Duel Monsters. It was a reality Kenji and Ryu would have to face if they wished to become duelists, especially so if they ended up at S.A.

* * *

Rain continued to pour down as they arrived home, pulling into the driveway and into the carpark which, fortunately, had a door connecting straight into the house without having to go outside. Heading into his room, Ryu got changed into some more comfortable clothing and went to place his duel disk on his desk. Before he could, though, he noted something new waiting in the spot where he usually rested it.

\- _For your win_ -

"A spell?" Ryu said, grabbing the green card and reading it, his eyes growing wide. "This is…"

\- _Use it wisely_ -

"I will," Ryu said, placing it on top of the deck currently held within his disk.

Having previously planned to go out with his friends to celebrate their graduation this afternoon, the group chat had decided it was probably best not to as the rain looked set to continue well into the night. Given he now had all afternoon and nothing to do, Ryu decided to play around with his deck a little and strategize with the new card Ki had given him. It was always a weird feeling, getting a new card. It meant his Spirit was acknowledging his growth, but he was never sure if it would be the last card. While he had received dozens over the years to as his strength, physically and mentally, had grown, Ki had never told him _why _he was doing this for Ryu. In fact, no one knew why the Spirits were doing what they were doing, despite the shared understanding Spirited had reached with their partners over the generations. It was the greatest enigma of their time, and one Ryu doubted he would personally find the answers for anytime soon.

After sending a message to Kenji about the new card, for which he got a barrage of texts theorising about its usefulness, Ryu noted that it was nearly two in the afternoon. Shuffling all his cards together and returning them to the disk, he headed downstairs, just in time to see his mother slam the front door, holding a letter in one hand.

"It's for you, Ryu," she said upon seeing him, smiling larger than he had ever seen her smile before.

"Don't tell me…"

Saku nodded, flipping the letter around to show the S.A seal on the back side. "Come, come, open it. "Itsuki!"

Feeling his heart pounding in his chest, Ryu near stumbled into the kitchen as Saku ran off to get his father, who, having taken the day off like Saku for Ryu's graduation, was likely in the study reading. Retrieving a knife from the kitchen, Ryu walked back over to the table his mother had placed the letter on and slotted the knife under the edge of the letter. Running it across the seam, he opened it with minimal fuss and began to unfurl the letter, which had a card enclosed, just as his parents returned to the room.

"Well? What does it say?" his father asked.

"To the Kagayaku family, and to Ryu, greetings," Ryu began. "I am writing to you on behalf of Spirited Academy, the number one duelist academy in Japan. As you know, Spirited Academy monitors the growth and potential of all Spirited, new and old, to see if they have what it takes to be the best of the best, and join us at Spirited Academy."

"They certainly know what the public thinks of them," Saku noted.

"Our mission is to ensure that all those wonderful individuals who are bonded with a Spirit are able to live up to their full potential and grow into the people they were destined to become. However, in order to ensure we maintain our ability and our legacy as the strongest and finest academy in the country, we only accept twenty new students every year. That is why we invite you, Ryu Kagayaku, to attend the upcoming entrance exam along with 149 other participants, to be held at the Shibuya Duelist Stadium on March 29th. Yours sincerely, Fumihiro Nagayama, Director of Spirited Academy."

"They really sent you an offer!" Saku exclaimed, embracing Ryu, who was struggling to hold back tears. "We knew you could do it."

\- _Well done_ -

Ryu felt his voice catch in his throat, his mum holding him at arm's length with tears of her own forming. "I… I need to call Kenji."

Letting the letter drop from his hands, Ryu sprinted up to his room only to find his phone, which was on his bed, already buzzing. Grabbing it and sitting on the bed in one swift motion, he felt adrenaline begin to pump harder through his body as he saw it was Kenji that was calling him. Stopping for only a moment, Ryu accepted the call and put the phone to his ear.

"I'M GOING TO THE ENTRANCE EXAM!"

Ryu swore he felt his eardrum shatter. "And now I'm deaf in my right ear, thank you Kenji," Ryu said, causing both of them to laugh.

"You're going too, right? You have to be. Tell me you're going," Kenji said, nervous energy reeking in his voice.

Ryu felt a huge smile grow uncontrollably across his face. "I'll be there," he said. "This is actually happening."

"I'm coming over right now," Kenji said. "March 29th. We have two days to get ourselves ready."

"I'll let my parents know," Ryu said, feeling his free hand grip the edge of the bed tighter. "We can do this, Kenji."

"Damn right we can," he heard his friend say. "And after today, I'll be damned if I let you beat me at the entrance exam, no matter what they throw at us."

"You're on," Ryu said, and like that, Kenji was gone, likely to get his stuff together.

An odd peace fell over Ryu. He could make out the muffled mumblings of his parents downstairs, knowing they were likely talking about how they were going to celebrate the occasion. He would let them know in a moment that Kenji, and therefore his parents, too, would be coming over to celebrate, but for the moment, he had a chance to let it all sink in. Rain pattered against the roof, and Ryu felt himself release a breath. Over ten years of work, turmoil and fending off the influence and demands of the outside world, and now he was only one step away from getting into the number one academy in the country. Not only that, his lifelong friend, the only person he had ever been able to truly talk with about being a Spirited, was one of the other contenders. He couldn't help but smile, lifting his glasses up to wipe the tears out of his eyes.

\- _Don't lose focus now_ -

"As if," Ryu said. "You think I'm going to blow this opportunity now?"

\- _No. I don't think you will_ -

"Just you watch, Ki," Ryu said, standing up. "I'm going to make you proud."

* * *

_**Coming Soon - The First Step**_


	3. The First Step

**Chapter Three: The First Step**

* * *

The two days passed quickly, the Shinja family staying with the Kagayaku's for the duration of that time to allow Ryu and Kenji to work together in preparation for the entrance exam. Hayami, Masumi and Akio had dropped by on the second day, giving the two a much needed chance to relax and calm themselves with their friends. They knew the time they had together now was precious, after all, if Ryu and Kenji did end up making it into S.A, there likely wouldn't be much of a chance for the five of them to catch up outside of university breaks and other one-off events. It would be an unusual feeling for the group, but as Hayami pointed out, Ryu and Kenji would still have each other no matter how the entrance exam went. It was a nice thought.

With the trip to Shibuya and the stadium scheduled to take a little over an hour, the two got up early to prepare for the day ahead. Waving goodbye to their families at the train station at eight in the morning of the exam, Ryu and Kenji boarded while also dodging a couple of reporters nearby who must have caught wind of the two being given an offer by S.A for the entrance exam. No matter how many times he saw reporters trying to come after him for one reason or another, Ryu wasn't sure it was something he would ever find himself able to get used to, even though he knew he would have to.

"Excited?" Kenji asked him as the train began to move.

Ryu chuckled. "Nervous," he said, pushing his glasses up. "You?"

"I'm excited," Kenji smiled, clenching a fist. "The whole country saw us duel just a couple days ago, man. Now let's show them what we can really do."

The two continued to talk well into the trip, a few people on the train who overheard their conversation giving words of encouragement to them, with one guy even complimenting the duel that he had watched on television earlier that week. Rolling up the sleeves on his long-sleeved t-shirt, Ryu felt a certain level of calm come over him the closer they got to Shibuya. It was not something he had expected to happen, but he was welcome for it. No matter what happened today, there were people out there who had already seen and believed in his, and Kenji's, dueling skills. That was something that made it hard for Ryu not to smile. After so long, his dream was finally beginning to become a reality.

The hour passed, and the two soon found themselves heading on foot for the remaining part of the journey to the stadium. Unsurprisingly, as they rounded the last corner and the stadium itself came into view, there was a lot of media, journalists, cameras and otherwise, surrounding the event. Spirited Academy had wisely chosen to employ ample security, allowing the two to approach easily once they had alerted the nearby security to the nature of their presence there. While reporters tried to get questions in from behind the barricades as they headed up the stairs and into the stadium itself, neither gave a word as they knew to do, and with a knowing smirk from Kenji, the two headed inside.

"And you are?" asked the receptionist.

"Ryu Kagayaku."

"Kenji Shinja."

"Thank you," the lady said. "Here's two maps of the facility. Go where you please, but please ensure you are on the field in front of the stage by 10am. Thank you."

Taking the maps and giving one to Kenji, Ryu poured over it. As expected of a facility built by S.A, there was plenty to behold. Aside from the main stadium itself which had a capacity of over 30,000 people, S.A had built many different training facilities into the stadium itself, which, given its dual function as a dueling stadium and the host for the entrance exams every year, made a lot of sense to Ryu. The two wandered through the stadium for the next half hour, running into a few other prospective students doing something similar to them. They came across what appeared to be miniature practise arenas, as well as general gym and other bodily training facilities. To Ryu, it seemed likely that the miniature arenas would what they would use in today's entrance exams to test out the prospective students. How they were going to do that, though, was another matter entirely.

Time passed quickly, and the two shortly made their way back to the main arena, where they found most of the other examinees were already waiting. Taking a place towards the back of the crowd, Ryu tried to see if there was any faces he recognised amongst them, but he came up empty. While there were a couple of other Spirited he knew of personally, most here only knew each other by name due to the nature of being Spirited. He did, however, note their seemed to be a decent number of older participants this year, counting at least twenty who had to be, at the very least, a few years out from high school. That said, it also meant the remaining 130 or so were all high school graduates like himself and Kenji, which meant that competition would likely be very tough for them.

"10 o'clock," Kenji noted, looking down at his watch. "Here we go."

As the last couple of participants trickled in, a figure appeared on stage. A tall, middle-aged man with a fading muscular body, he wore a well-fitted blue suit that complimented the framed glasses he wore. A grey beard adorned his face, but even from his position right towards the back of the crowd, he could feel the man's deep green eyes pierce his soul, as if there were nothing Ryu could hide from him. It also meant, though, that Ryu knew exactly who this man was.

"Welcome, one and all, to Spirited Academy's entrance exam. I hope you all had a good trip here. My name is Fumihiro Nagayama. I am the Director of the Academy, and will be the one in charge here today," the man said. "But for now, I would like to invite the rest of the Spirited Academy staff to join me on the stage. Come on up!"

From behind the curtain that draped down across the stage came a little over a dozen people of varying gender and size. Counting fifteen once everyone came to a stop, Ryu could only assume what roles they all played at the Academy. There were many different facets to being a Spirited, which he knew S.A would only have the best of the best on their payroll for.

"If you manage to pass the entrance exam this year, these are the people you will meet throughout your three-year journey," Fumihiro said. "But, I will let them introduce themselves to those that are successful once the year starts. Since we only take in twenty new students every year, you will develop a close bond with these wonderful men and women, some of whom are even professional duelists themselves!"

"Do you think we will get to duel them?" Kenji asked him, earning a shrug from Ryu.

"Speaking of professional duelists, though, we have a special guest here today," Fumihiro continued. "In order to get you in the mindset for the exam, please welcome me in introducing Japan's number one duelist, Taiki Muteki!"

Ryu gasped, but clapped along with everyone else as the man himself stepped onto the stage, in a similar outfit, professional yet casual, that he had seen him wearing in the news report a couple of days ago. Taiki took the microphone from Fumihiro with a smile, indicating a familiarity between the two, before holding a hand up that immediately silenced the group of prospective students. He gazed around the group, with Ryu, just like everyone else, hanging off every word he was about to say.

"Four years ago, I graduated from Spirited Academy," Taiki began. "But my journey to where I am now began far earlier than that. It began the moment my Spirit and I became one, and that is the same for all of you. This exam is the culmination of your hard work, your determination, and your drive to be the best duelist you can be. This is your chance. Some among you have already announced yourselves to the world stage, while for others this exam is your chance to do just that."

"No way," Kenji muttered. "You think he watched our duel?"

"You have all been invited here for one reason, and one reason alone," Taiki continued. "Spirited Academy has been watching you grow for many years. They have invited you here because they believe you can be the best of the best. That you have what it takes to sit on the throne of the world. Today, in this exam, is your chance to prove that to them. You will each be tested. It won't be easy, but do your best, and show Spirited Academy that you have what it takes to be a student of theirs. Show them what it means to be a Spirited!"

The students erupted, and Ryu had to force himself to keep a tear down. The man knew how to inspire, and he knew that was something he was going to have to learn how to do if he wanted to be a professional duelist. Being like Taiki wasn't just about winning in the arena. It was about being a symbol for the people, an icon, someone that people could look up to and trust in. He clenched his fist. Taiki was right. No matter what Spirited Academy threw at him today, he would surpass any expectation they had. He would do whatever it took to become a student.

Taiki handed the mic back to Fumihiro before he, along with the teachers, disappeared offstage. "How about one last round of applause for the country's number one, hey?" he said, earning another round of applause. "But with that out of the way, I think now is a good time to begin today's exam, and for that, I'd like those who haven't already done so to equip their duel disks."

"Ready, Kenji?" Ryu asked, as he took his disk out of his backpack and slotted it onto his left arm.

"As I'll ever be," his friend replied, mimicking Ryu's action.

"Around this stadium there are fifteen different dueling arenas, designed for practise to be used by the Spirited within the general public as a way of honing their skills," Fumihiro said. "We will be using these facilities today to test each and every one of you, with a teacher each being allocated to every arena to monitor your exam. Since we have 150 of you, and 15 arenas, we will therefore be doing this in rounds which, if you have a look on your duel disks now, will come up."

Glancing down at his disk, Ryu noted that it had joined onto the stadium's network, which was unsurprising given the disks were designed to automatically join onto any nearby networks if active to allow for government monitoring. There were ways to jailbreak it, but the methods were highly illegal, and only used by those who were already on the wrong side of the law. Looking down on it now, he saw that two numbers had appeared on his screen.

"Mine says 1/3," Kenji said, as if reading his thoughts. "You?"

"1/10," Ryu said in return.

"The first number is the round you have been allocated to," Fumihiro continued. "The second is, as you can probably guess, the arena in which your test will take place, the locations for which you can find in the map you should have received when you arrived."

"We are in the first round?" Kenji noted. "Reckon it's because of the broadcast the other day?"

Ryu shrugged. "It's possible," he said. "It could also have been totally random."

"Before we begin, though, I want to make one thing perfectly clear about the exam," Fumihiro said. "Taiki was right in that we have been watching all of you for some time now as prospective students of our great academy. What that means, however, is we are acutely aware of how your deck works, what its strengths and weaknesses are, as well as how it plays and reacts to different decks and situations."

"Don't tell me…" Ryu muttered.

"Therefore, each exam will be tailored to suit your deck, using the holographic duel interface that is used for practise country-wide," the Director continued. "During this exam, we will be testing a number of things, including how long you take to complete the exam and your skill in handling the situation."

"That's not good," Kenji said.

"But, you will learn more when the time comes to take your exam, so let's begin!" Fumihiro said. "Can all those taking part in the first round please make your way to your allocated arenas. For the others, feel free to wander as you please, even go and watch some of the other participants duel if you would like. Good luck to you all!"

"Okay, feeling more nervous now," Kenji said with a huff. "This is it."

"This is it," Ryu repeated back. "We are on opposite sides of the stadium. Good luck."

Kenji smiled. "You too."

The two split and headed through the crowd, which had all began to shuffle off in their respective directions, those not dueling the in the first round likely heading for places where they could strategize and try to figure out what the Academy was going to throw at them. Ryu, on the other hand, knew exactly what was likely to be awaiting him. His deck was incomplete, that much was easy to ascertain. He made do with government-made cards that helped in supporting his deck, but there were still glaring gaps in the abilities of his deck. **Telepathic Power**, for example, was one of the few cards he had that allowed him to destroy his opponent's cards outside of battle, and it wasn't even one of the cards from within his own deck. It meant that, if this truly was a test designed and tailored to each duelist specifically, then they likely knew of this weakness within his deck and would force him to try and fight against it. How they would do that he was unsure of, but it was likely the path they would take.

\- _You're going to let that worry you?_ -

"No," Ryu said, reaching the edge of the grassed area. "I won't stop. Not now."

\- _What is your plan _-

"Get you to give me some destruction cards before I get there?" Ryu asked hopefully.

\- _No_ -

"Why not?"

\- _That would not be fair_ -

"I'm already at a disadvantage because of you," Ryu snapped, earning a quizzical look from one of the people near him. "Are you going to help me in this one?"

\- _No _-

"Yeah, I'm not sure why I asked," Ryu said, rubbing his forehead. "Let me focus, then."

\- _See you afterward_ -

Walking through the corridors towards his allocated arena, Ryu scanned through his mind for options. If what he envisioned for his exam was true, then the new card he had received a couple of days ago would not be of much assistance. With the right hand he could potentially dig to get to the one-ofs he had which would allow him to destroy the cards that would oppose him, but even then, the chance of drawing them or being able to get to them was slim. Ryu scowled as he neared the arena. Being first cab off the rank had left him little time to prepare, but he would just have to do his best. Taking a deep breath in and out, Ryu readied himself as he approached the final corner, ready to meet with whichever teacher awaited him.

And he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Ryu, was it?" Taiki Muteki said, hand outstretched. "Nice to meet you."

Ryu shook his head too aggressively. "I… hi," he managed to stammer. "Why are you here?"

Taiki laughed. "Don't be intimidated, I'm still just a person," he said. "I'm here to see how your exam goes."

"Me? Why?" Ryu said, aware his eyes were likely as wide as dinnerplates but unable to fix that. "I'm sure there's much more interesting duels that will happen."

"Perhaps, but I caught the end of your duel the other day," Taiki said. "You and that Kenji boy have promise. His duel is being recorded for me, so I can watch yours now."

"I… okay," Ryu said. "That really doesn't help my nerves."

Taiki chuckled. "I suppose it wouldn't, but if you want to go to S.A and become a pro duelist, its something you will have to learn to deal with."

"Right," Ryu managed to say.

"I won't keep you any longer," Taiki said. "Hikari probably wants to get this show on the road. Good luck!"

"Thank you, Mr. Muteki," Ryu said.

"Call me Taiki," the man said. "Now go win."

Still struggling with the fact that Taiki had decided that the best way to spend his time was to watch his entrance exam of all things, Ryu went through the motions as he met Hikari, a woman who got him set up for the exam. About the same height as Taiki, Hikari was just the young side of middle aged, with blonde hair flowing down on a figure-holding black dress. It wasn't anything fancy, but it appeared the teachers all dressed rather proper at the Academy, something Ryu probably should've guessed would be the case.

After introductions were done, Hikari drivelled off the necessary information about the parameters of the test, the location of dampeners so Ryu didn't accidentally knock them, and so forth. Given the arenas were self-contained, she would communicate with him as necessary through an earpiece she gave him. It had a small mic attached to it, just enough for Ryu to be able to talk with her further as necessary. With one final glance in Taiki's direction, who was already overlooking the arena below, Ryu headed for the elevator, and on the very short ride down, he heard Hikari's voice come through on the earpiece.

"Can you hear me?" she said.

"Yes, Ms. Fujita," Ryu said.

"Good. Now, let me explain the rules of this duel to you," she said as the elevator jolted down. "This will be a standard duel, where both you and your opponent, in this case the A.I, will have 4000 LP. There will be a set scenario that we have set up specifically for you to counter. However, as with each participant here today, there is one difference we have made to the normal setup, which is again tailored specifically to you."

"And that is?" Ryu asked as the elevator came to a stop.

"Simple," she said, the doors opening. "You only have one turn to win."

The doors opened to reveal a completely white room, the only markings being on the floor where Ryu could see the layout of a standard dueling board arrangement. Five metres up above him from the wall he could walked out of, glass could be seen, and looking back, Ryu could make out Taiki and Hikari standing there, looking down in his direction. Taking a deep breath once again to try and settle his nerves, he returned his attention to the task in front of him.

The first card to appear was a face-up continuous trap, **Imperial Custom**. Generic, Ryu noted, but one that meant he couldn't destroy other face-up continuous trap cards without destroying it first, which meant there had to be at least one more coming. Sure enough, not moments later, as Ryu made it to the edge of his side of the dueling board as marked on the ground, the second face-up continuous trap appeared, **Dimension Guardian**.

His mind went into overdrive at seeing this. Another generic card likely designed by the government for S.A, this trap gave one face-up attack position monster his opponent controlled immunity to being destroyed both by battle and by card effects, but that also meant, given the fact **Imperial Custom** was present to protect **Dimension Guardian**, whatever monster it was protecting must be something Ryu would have a lot of trouble dealing with.

"Let the exam begin," Hikari said, and the monster began to flicker into view.

Ryu felt a shadow get cast over his side of the field, his vision looking up towards the ceiling as the enormous monster came into view.

"You've got to be kidding me…"

* * *

_**Coming Soon - The Five-Headed Dragon**_


	4. The Five-Headed Dragon

**Chapter Four: The Five-Headed Dragon**

* * *

**Five Headed-Dragon** \- Level: 12/**ATK:5000**/DEF: 5000

**Ryu** – 4000 LP/Hand – 5/Field – nil

* * *

Ryu gulped involuntarily as the behemoth of a monster came into focus. A great golden dragon, its five heads let out a ferocious roar, Ryu instinctively raising an arm to protect his face as wind rushed past him. Even with the dampeners active, the sheer force of the Duel Monster in front of him threatened to knock him off of his feet. He steadied in a moment, however, and tried to get his mind to focus. Now was the time for action.

"Remember, we are treating this as the second turn of the duel, and you have taken no damage so far," came Hikari's voice over the earpiece. "Begin your turn, and good luck."

Ryu nodded. "My turn!" he said, drawing a card and looking at it. His eyes grew wide. _This is…_

\- _You're welcome_ -

Ryu couldn't help but smile a little. They had done the exact opposite of what he had expected them to do. Instead of trying to pull out his deck's weaknesses, they had instead opted to try and test the limits of its strengths. They had to be aware that he would not have been able to get through this board with card destruction effects or by spinning away the cards, since his deck lacked in both. So instead, they had put him in a situation where he had to deal 4000 damage in one battle phase against a battle-immune 5000 ATK point dragon of legend. But, they had no way of knowing of the card Ki had given him only after his most recent duel. And that was their mistake.

"I activate the continuous spell, **Reiki Energy**!" Ryu began, placing the card he had just drawn into his disk. "Now, whenever a **Reiki** monster is Special Summoned, except by **Energy's** own effect, I gain LP equal to half that monster's original ATK, as well as place a Reiki Counter on this card. Then, I will summon **Reiki Caller** from my hand! (Lvl: 4/ATK:1600/DEF:1200)."

A shrouded female figure appeared, draped in white robes with green linings through it, just as with the other **Reiki **monsters. However, on the field in front of the woman was an arcane circle, intricate patterns and markings outlining the glowing green circle.

"Once per turn, she let's me pay 800 LP to summon one Reiki monster from my hand or deck," Ryu continued. "From my deck, I summon the Tuner monster, **Reiki Master**! (Lvl:2/ATK:100/**DEF:2100**)."

As his LP dropped to 3200, the circle in front of **Caller **flashed and from it came an old man with a long, white beard, tanned and toned and wearing the same designed robes as **Reiki Warrior**. Taking his place alongside **Caller **on the field, the monster was wreathed in a vibrant green energy as **Reiki Energy** triggered, raising Ryu's LP to 3250 and giving itself one counter.

"I'll now activate two effects back to back, **Master's** first before chaining the **Reiki Flipper** in my hand!" Ryu said. "If Summoned, **Master** lets me banish any **Reiki** monster from my deck or GY, of which I will choose **Reiki Overloader** from my deck! And then, whenever my LP changes, **Flipper** is able to Special Summon itself, although it is banished when it leaves the field, by paying 800 LP! Come, **Reiki** **Flipper**! (Lvl: 4/**ATK: 1700**/DEF: 1600)."

His LP dropping to 2450, **Flipper** appeared on the field, holding one ball of green energy and another of red in the other, robes the inverse of the energy held within that's side hand. Now, however, because **Flipper** was on the field, while **Energy** rose to 2 counters, Ryu took 850 damage from summoning **Flipper** thanks to its effect. Tanking the damage as his LP lowered to 1600, Ryu shook it off easily. He knew the opponent had no way of interrupting his plays. He knew this would win him the match. Whether it would be enough, on the other hand, was another matter entirely. As **Master** finished resolving and banished the **Overloader** from his deck, Ryu prepared for his next play.

"I activate the effect of **Reiki Trancer** in my hand, which allows it to be summoned to my field by paying 500 LP!" Ryu said. "However, since **Flipper** is on the field, I will gain that amount of LP instead. Come, the Tuner monster, **Reiki Trancer**! (Lvl:1/**ATK:300**/DEF:300)."

His LP rose to 2100 as **Trancer** appeared on the field, still lost behind the green and white headset strapped to its head. **Energy** then triggered, causing his to lose 150 LP to fall back down to 1950, as well as gain its third counter. The number of counters matter little in the end, but Ryu knew he couldn't take a breath. Every second could prove costly.

"**Trancer's** effect lets me give it a level between 2 and 4 until the end of the turn by paying LP equal to the level chosen times 200. I'll make it Level 4, then gain 800 LP thanks to **Flipper** being on the field!" Ryu said, his LP rising up to 2750. "And now, the first Synchro Summon! I tune the now Level 4 **Reiki Trancer** to my Level 4 **Reiki Flipper**! Energy within, revive the great demon of the underworld to do your bidding. Become the fire that lights the path! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 8! **Reiki Archfiend**! (**ATK: 2800**/DEF: 2300)."

Two became one, **Flipper** vanishing into the ether as a great hulking skeleton surrounding a red energy body came forth from the pillar of light. With giant claws more befitting to a mammoth hunting animal than an overly large humanoid figure, skeletal wings spread from its back as it emerged, roaring in the direction of the **Five-Headed Dragon** as its two horns glinted from the energy of its body. **Energy** triggered once more, and since **Flipper** was no longer on the field, Ryu breathed a sign of relief as his LP returned almost to normal at 4150.

"I now activate the second effect of **Reiki Energy**. By destroying **Energy**, I can select one monster in my GY who's level is less than or equal to the number of Counters **Energy** had and Special Summon it! However, I take damage equal to that monster's Level times 200, and that monster is banished when it leaves the field!" Ryu said, the continuous spell vanishing in a puff of yellow data. "I pay 200 LP to revive the Tuner monster, **Reiki Trancer**! (Lvl:1/ATK:/300/DEF:300)."

* * *

"Double Synchro Summon?" Taiki muttered under his breath, looking down from their vantage point as **Trancer** reappeared.

"It appears he believes he can win," Hikari replied.

"Can he?" Taiki asked, glancing over at the teacher.

Hikari said nothing.

* * *

"I active **Trancer's** other effect, making him Level 4 at the cost of 800 LP!" Ryu said, his LP dropping to 3150 after **Energy** had reduced it to 3950 to summon **Trancer**. "Next, I will activate the second effect of **Reiki Master**! By targeting one of my banished **Reiki** monsters and taking damage equal to that monster's Level times 200, I can Special Summon it! Appear, **Reiki Overloader**! (Lvl: 6/ATK: 2200/DEF: 2100)."

His LP dropped once again to 1950 as his field was filled by the appearance of a **fifth** Reiki monster. Wearing a tight, almost lab-coat like outfit with green linings, the man wore gloves that shimmered with green energy. Adorning his head, along with short black hair, was a white vizor with green energy running along the middle in line with where his eyes normally would be.

* * *

"Five monsters, one Synchro and another two of which are Tuners," Taiki said.

"You sound impressed," Hikari said.

"I am," Taiki replied. "I was right about those two. They've got a bright future ahead of them."

* * *

"And now comes back to back Synchro Summons!" Ryu said. "I tune the Level 2 **Reiki Master** to the Level 6 **Reiki Overloader**, as well as the now Level 4 **Trancer** to my Level 4 **Caller**! Energy within, give birth to the twin champions of passion! Become the fires that light the path! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 8! My two **Reiki Warriors**! (**ATK: 2500**/DEF:2000)."

Trancer vanished into the ether, the four became two, and as the twin monks descended onto the field, Ryu let out a breath as he felt a rush of adrenaline surge through his body. He was now within striking distance of the behemoth challenge in front of him, and he could see the light at the end of the tunnel. With the last two cards in his hand, he would strike down the **Five-Headed Dragon**. He'd ace this exam.

"If it is Synchro Summoned while I have less LP than my opponent, **Warrior** gains ATK equal to the difference! Therefore, since I have 1950 LP and the A.I. has 4000, both of them now have 4550 ATK!" Ryu said, green energy surging around the two as their attack rose. "But I'm not done yet! I now activate a spell from my hand, **Reiki Fusion**! By banishing the materials necessary from my field or GY, I can Fusion Summon a **Reiki** Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck!"

* * *

"He can Fusion Summon as well?" Taiki asked.

"Since he was 14, yes," Hikari said.

Taiki folded his arms. "Impressive."

* * *

"I banish **Caller** and **Master** from my graveyard!" Ryu said. "Energy within, call forth the ruler of the hearts of men! Become the fire that lights the path! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 8! **Reiki Overlord**! (**ATK: 2600**/DEF: 1800)."

Appearing from beyond, the swirling energy of the two monsters disappeared into the fusion gate that had appeared behind Ryu, and a moment later **Overlord** stepped through. A woman with long, red hair, black, ceremonial armour adorned her body lined with the same red energy as **Archfiend**. Her eyes glowed with the same intense red, and she wielded a sword the size of Ryu that was lined red and seemed to react to the energies of its owner to glow lightly. Taking her place on the field, she and **Archfiend** stood head and shoulders above the two **Warriors**, who themselves were much taller than Ryu. The boy smiled. This was the true potential of his deck.

"I activate **Overlord's** effect!" he said. "By banishing **Overloader** from my graveyard, she gains ATK equal to his ATK until the End Phase, meaning she now has 4800 ATK! Additionally, I will also activate the effect of **Reiki Archfiend**! By paying 800 LP, until the end of this turn, all **Reiki** monsters I control gain 300 ATK for every banished **Reiki** monster! And since **Trancer, Flipper, Overloader, Caller **and** Master** have all been banished over the course of this turn, that means every single monster I control gains 1500 ATK!"

**Archfiend – 4300 ATK/Warrior – 6050 ATK/Warrior – 6050 ATK/Overlord – 6300 ATK**

* * *

"Unbelieveable," Taiki said, leaning against the glass. "Three Synchros and a Fusion, all with over 4000 ATK… for a 17-year-old kid…"

"He's unique, that's for sure," Hikari said.

"Unique?" Taiki asked.

"I'll tell you after," she replied. "He's still got one card left to play."

* * *

"And now, I activate my final card, **Psychic Sword**!" Ryu said. By equipping it to **Archfiend**, he gains ATK equal to the difference between our LP up to a max of 2000! And since I have 1150 LP and the A.I. has 4000, his attack becomes 6300!"

Ryu gave himself a moment to pause as **Archfiend** picked up the sword as best it could, howling as its attack rose. He had done it. He would have to thank Ki later, knowing the Spirit had likely helped influence his draws to get the hand he needed, as they were able to do if they felt like doing so. But, with a smile beaming across his face, Ryu looked the main head of the **Five-Headed Dragon** in the eye. Now, finally, it was time to attack.

"Battle! **Archfiend, Overlord**, my **Warriors**, combine your strength and take down that dragon!" he commanded. "Strike of Souls!"

The dragon roared, and his monsters did in return. Ryu braced for the impact as the four combined their energies, red and green swirling together on the field as the five heads of the dragon prepared to fire. With one final shout, red and green energy burst out from his monsters, and the dragon countered it, meeting it with an elemental stream of its own. Even with the dampeners and with his bracing, the force of the impact between the two caused Ryu to slide backwards a few metres, barely able to keep his feet. Soon, though, green and red began to push through, and the blast from the **Five-Headed Dragon **soon halted. Willing his monsters forward, the blast continued on, enveloping the dragon in a cacophony of energy before wiping both it, and the traps, from the field, the A.I.'s LP having been reduced to 0.

"I did it," Ryu said as his monsters faded from view.

\- _You did it_ -

"Well done on your performance, Ryu Kagayaku," came Hikari's voice over the earpiece.

"Thank you, Ms. Fujita," Ryu said, trying his best to mask the excitement in his voice.

"If you could please return to the elevator so we can continue on with the next evaluation, that would be appreciated," Hikari said.

"Yes, of course," Ryu said.

Turning back to head towards the elevator, Ryu glanced up at the glass. He could see the teacher tapping away on the tablet she held, but looking next to her, she could see Taiki looking down at him. Giving him a thumbs up, the number one duelist in Japan turned and walked away from the glass with Hikari, out of view, but once they were, Ryu felt himself grinning like mad. Not only had he surpassed the challenge put before him, he had done it knowing Taiki had been watching on, only for the man to give his approval to him right after. Ryu felt like he was about to leap right out of his skin. But, as he returned to the elevator, there was only one thought that came to mind.

How did Kenji do?

* * *

"You said he was unique?" Taiki asked.

"Yes," Hikari said. "His Spirit never appeared to him. Unlike everyone else, for whatever reason, his Spirit refuses to tell Ryu his name or show him his appearance."

"Strange," Taiki admitted, scratching his chin. "I've never heard of a Spirit doing that."

Hikari sighed. "Neither have we," she said. "None of our overseas counterparts have heard of anything like it either. It's part of the reason why we asked you to attend and watch today."

"Well, there was nothing out of the ordinary as far as I could tell," Taiki said. "As I said earlier, he seems to be just a normal kid, although one with great future prospects, just like that friend of his."

"You think we should take them in?" Hikari said.

"What I think doesn't matter," Taiki said. "That's up for you to decide."

The man left without another word before Ryu made it back up to them via the elevator. The kid seemed a bit disappointed by this, but Hikari noted the poor attempts to hide his excitement of beating the exam. Taking back the earpiece and mic from him, Hikari watched as he headed off down the hallway, no doubt looking for his friend that he fought the other day to see how he went. Once he was out of sight, her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she retrieved it to see it was Fumihiro calling her.

"Anything?" the man asked.

"Nothing unusual," Hikari said. "Vitals were normal, Taiki saw nothing out of the ordinary."

"Alright," Fumihiro said. "Continue with the rest of the exams. If he makes the cut, I will talk to him myself."

"You sure that's a wise idea?" Hikari asked.

"Yes," the man replied. "If he's the first of a new kind of Spirited, then we have to know all we can about it to prepare."

"Of course," Hikari said, and the phone went dead.

Sliding it into her pocket, Hikari sighed as the second round of participants were ordered via intercom to head to their allotted areas. It mattered not. He had passed, but if he made the cut, only then would he be their problem. Now was not the time to be worrying about the future.

* * *

**_Coming Soon - Doorway to the Future_**


	5. Doorway to the Future

**Chapter Five: Doorway to the Future**

* * *

It took Ryu longer than he had anticipated to find Kenji. After the slight disappointment of not getting to speak to Taiki Muteki after his exam, he headed straight back to the main arena, where he saw a few of the other round one participants already were. It didn't surprise him that some had already finished. Given every exam was tailored to the applicant, and he had taken a while due to the nature of his combo, it was easy to surmise that others would have had shorter challenges. Noting his friend's absence from amongst them, Ryu headed for where he assumed Kenji's exam was taking place, if the map he had been handed was indeed correct. Sure enough, as he rounded the last corner to head towards the entrance to arena 1/3, he noted a familiar figure exit the arena.

"Kenji!" Ryu called with a wave, his friends eyes lighting up as he saw him. "How did you go?"

The blonde grinned. "Aced it," Kenji said, clenching a fist. "You?"

"Same, I think," Ryu said. "Get this, though. Taiki was there."

"Pull the other one, Ryu," Kenji scoffed.

"It's true," Ryu said. "He was there. You were right, he did indeed catch the end of our duel the other day. He said he liked what he saw, so he came to watch my exam and reckons he had yours recorded to see later."

The intercom blared to signal for the round two applicants to head to their designated areas. "Seems I was the last one to finish," Kenji said. "Makes sense, though."

Ryu raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"I'll tell me if you buy me a burger from the canteen?" Kenji asked hopefully.

Ryu laughed, but agreed. It was his turn to pay for a meal after all, and while it was still mid-morning, barely 10:30, he knew what an appetite his friend had, and he felt a muffin or something like it wouldn't go amiss. Checking quickly on their maps, they soon found their way over to the main canteen of the stadium, where they found many of the other applicants, most seated at tables preparing for their exams to come over the next few rounds. Feeling somewhat fortunate he didn't have to potentially wait for hours stressed out of his mind as to what the examiners would throw at him, Ryu sat Kenji down at a far table after ordering to get details out of him.

As it turned out, Kenji had had the opposite experience Ryu had, and had indeed had the weaknesses of his deck targeted in the exam, where his goal had been to get to Turn 10 no matter what. While Kenji's deck was one turn kill oriented, like Ryu's, it had weaknesses in the form of consistency and board presence. Since his cards most relied on his opponent activating effects, it was difficult for him to do explosive plays if the opponent played simplistic beatdown and protection decks which, sure enough, Spirited Academy had done. As the third round was called upon, Kenji went on to explain how he had come close to running out of LP twice during the course of the duel, but had been able to pull through thanks to a couple of lucky draws.

"You didn't tell them that, I hope," Ryu said.

"Of course not, what do you take me for?" Kenji scowled. "Actually, on second thought, don't answer that."

Ryu laughed. "Well, at least we both passed," he said.

"Damn right," Kenji replied. "Now that that's out of the way, though, tell me more about Taiki."

"I still can't believe it, if I'm honest."

"What did you do when you met him? What was he like? Did he offer any advice?" Kenji pressed.

Ryu held his hands up. "Geez, calm down," he said, chuckling slightly. "Well, before you ask, yes, I froze when I met him."

Kenji burst out laughed. "I _knew_ you would, you wuss!"

"Shut up," Ryu muttered under a giggle, punching him lightly in the arm. "_Anyway_, all he really did was say he was going to watch and that he enjoyed our duel."

"That's it?" Kenji asked. "The number one duelist in Japan is standing right in front of you, and all you can say is 'thanks' before wandering off?"

"I was a bit busy trying to get into S.A, in case you didn't notice," Ryu countered, earning a huff from Kenji. "Besides, he knows of us now. Maybe one day we will get to work with him."

Kenji gave him a look. "You really think so?"

"Only one way to find out, right?"

They continued bickering away for some time, rounds four, five and six all being called in before they eventually got bored sitting around doing nothing, their food having long come and gone. As the clock struck one in the afternoon, they headed off to wander the stadium, keen to see how the other applicants were doing. Fortunately, they were allowed to come so long as they were quiet, and so they did. Many of the duelists wielded aggressive decks similar to their own, but there were a surprising number that utilised different strategies, like burn and stall, while some used decks that Ryu wasn't sure really had a defined strategy at all. While being a Spirited in the middle of the city had exposed him to many different duelists and decks growing up, he wagered there were plenty in the stadium today who hadn't had that opportunity, noting a couple of very keen onlookers as they wandered through the different arena viewing platforms.

One thing of interesting note to Ryu, though, was that the A.I used exclusively custom-made cards authorised by the government to run the simulations. Over the four generations since Spirits had first appeared, world agencies had worked round the clock to try and reverse engineer the cards to make their own to allow for a wider group of people to utilise the power. It had succeeded somewhat, but with the intercontinental laws and regulations put in place a few decades ago, these cards had either been destroyed or relegated to very specific usage. Using them in simulations like this was one of them, but it often meant, outside of set scenarios like the one he had faced, it was nigh-impossible to make a functioning deck of the cards since the only cards still being government-made were ones that were designed to specifically support different deck types. It meant that, for those like Ryu who needed those cards to help their deck, they were not easy to find, and given his deck was Psychic-Type, one of the rarer monster types in the world of Duel Monsters, it had made it even trickier. Kenji, too, struggled in this aspect, as Pyro was ever scarcer than Psychic. While the end result was to have a deck that didn't need the outside support, for the time being, it was all the two had to try and ensure their decks were as good as they could be.

"Attention all applicants. Could all those in round seven please head to your designated arenas," came a voice over the intercom.

"Nearing the end," Kenji noted.

"Hopefully it's not too much longer," Ryu said. "We have to head back to Kita at some point."

"You worry too much," Kenji said. "I'm just nervous about the results."

Ryu nodded. "They must be revealing it today, or they wouldn't have kept us all here after the exam was done," he said. "You just had to remind me of that, didn't you?"

Kenji chuckled. "Of course," he said. "What are friends for?"

Silence fell over them, both getting out their phones to get in touch with friends and family. Ryu's mother was pleased to hear from him, and he filled her in on the exam and his run-in with Taiki Muteki, which she pestered him about a lot more than he was really willing to deal with. Left to browse through his phone a few minutes later, Ryu found a stream from outside about the exams themselves. Given the high-profile nature of the of the event, this was unsurprising, but he noted most of the chatter seemed to be about Taiki. It seemed the number one duelist had left the stadium some time ago, and had refused to tell any members of the media waiting outside what had happened inside while he was there. Ryu knew that he would have said nothing regardless, but he found it interesting that Taiki had left so early. He would love to speak to the man again, if given the chance. There was a lot he wanted to ask him.

As the clock neared 2:30, the last round was finally called to the arenas. Ryu noted three of those who had been sitting at nearby tables had made their move at the sound of the announcement, meaning they had had over four hours to prepare for their exams, including watching what was thrown at the other applicants. He wondered if there had been any logic given to the allocation of rounds to those taking the exam, and given they had stated multiple times before that Spirited Academy had been keeping an eye on them all for a long time, he suspected that had played into it a lot. If that were true, it was likely the Academy already had a good idea of who they wanted to fill out the 20 slots available in their next class. This was not just an entrance exam. This had been their last chance to make their case for application. Ryu only hoped he had done enough to get in.

A siren blared through the stadium. "And with that, the final round of exams is complete," came Director Fumihiro's voice over the intercom. "The time is now 2:47. Could all participants please assemble on the stadium ground by 3:00pm so we can announce the results. Thank you!"

Kenji glance at Ryu. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," he answered with a huff.

"If you're the reason I don't get in, I'll never forgive you, you know that right?" Kenji said.

Ryu raised a brow. "Are you threatening me, Kenji?"

Kenji couldn't keep a straight face. "Maybe," he said with a chuckle. "Nah. I would never let you get in without me anyway. Not letting you get that far ahead."

"You seem confident we will," Ryu said as they began walking back towards the ground.

Kenji grinned. "Of course. Dude, _Taiki Muteki_ noticed us," he said. "We were broadcast all across Japan, and there was an S.A scout there as well. No way we don't get in."

"I wish I had your confidence, Kenji," Ryu said.

"You do, you just don't flaunt it," he countered. "Now come on. Can't be late, now can we?"

The blonde wrapped his arm around the back of Ryu's neck, giving out a hearty laugh. Ryu just shook his head, taking his glasses off to give them a clean with his shirt as they walked. They arrived relatively late compared to the other applicants, but still well before the allocated time. As they arrived, though, Ryu could feel the nervous energy that permeated the stadium. It was thick in the air, more than a few people nervously glancing at their watches as they waited for the time to arrive. Glancing around the crowd, only a couple of them seemed to be assured of themselves, although Ryu didn't know if that was just a facade being put on or if these individuals really were that confident in the upcoming result. Either way, he had no idea how they were able to pull it off. He could feel his skin crawling in anticipation, like he could leap out of his body at any moment.

_\- Calm down -_

"Easy for you to say," Ryu muttered to Ki. "You don't have to deal with this."

_\- Perhaps not this exactly, but I know what anxiety feels like -_

"Spirits get anxious, do they?"

\- _Sometimes. We try not to, though. It's distracting, and usually unwarranted_ -

"Sagely as always, Ki," Ryu said.

_\- Of course. I do my best -_

"Humble, too."

_\- Naturally -_

Ryu shook his head. He was glad Spirits couldn't read or hear the thoughts of their partners, otherwise Ki would've heard some of the choice language Ryu had for him at the moment. While he knew the Spirit was ultimately right, it didn't help him that the announcement about to happen could possibly change his life. Despite all the preparation Kenji and he had done, despite all the years toiling away, dealing with the media and the pressure of being a Spirited, if they didn't make the cut here and now, it would all be for nothing. Sure, there would be subsequent years, but Ryu didn't want to be the old guy in the group. He wanted to prove he could be the best. He only hoped he had done enough to get that opportunity.

There came the light ruffle of curtains, and an absolute silence fell over the crowd. Stepping out onto the stage came the Director, followed by the teachers which had aided in the examination process, Ryu noting Ms. Fujita standing on the far-right end of the group. As they came to a stop, a large white screen came down in front of the curtain, and Ryu quickly realised what it was for.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience here today," Fumihiro began. "I realise those who were in the first round have been waiting for a few hours for the examination process to finish, and I thank you for that. Now, however, we come to the final part of the exam. The results. Ms. Fujita?"

"Thank you, Director," Hikari said, stepping forward and taking the microphone. "You are amongst the best and brightest this country had to offer. Therefore, I imagine it will come as no surprise when I say that the list I'm about to show you now it not just based on your results here today. Today's exam was the culmination of your work that got you an invitation in the first place, that very same work that placed you in the top 150. That work has now been judged against your performance here today to determine the top 20 who will become the next class of students at Spirited Academy."

A murmur went up from the crowd. "I knew it," Kenji muttered.

Ryu nodded. "Makes sense, really," he added, earning a quick smile from Kenji.

"Therefore, if you did not perform your best today, do not fear," Hikari continued. "If you had been exemplary in your build-up to this exam, that would have also been taken into consideration. Now, I will return your attention back to the Director, who will conclude this short ceremony."

"Thank you, Ms. Fujita," he said, taking the microphone back. "In a few moments, 20 names will appear on the screen behind me, in order from 1st to 20th of your placements here today. Those 20 names will be the ones who have made the cut for attendance at Spirited Academy, and will receive a letter within the next three days detailing what the processes are for attending the Academy."

Ryu huffed. "Here it comes," Kenji said.

"And now, here they are. The 20 new students to Spirited Academy!" the Director declared, turning and pointing up at the board.

The screen lit up, and the name appeared. Ryu felt his heart rate double as he went down the list from number one to find his name. Eventually, in moments that felt like eternity, he found it. Number 12. Releasing a breath he never knew he was holding, he felt tears welling up in his eyes and took his glasses off to wipe them on his brow. A moment later, after returning them to his face, his vision was filled with the image of Kenji, grinning from ear to ear.

"We did it," he said.

"You're in too?" Ryu asked elatedly.

"Just. 20th," Kenji said, punching him in the arm. "I've got some catching up to do, it seems."

The pair laughed, then embraced each other with a hearty hug. His skin felt like it was on fire, his body fit to burst as his struggled to contain the euphoria he felt at the result. Not only had he managed to get in, but Kenji would also be there with him. Just like he always had been. And while the blonde was starting from the bottom of the class, Ryu could see the look of determination in his eyes. There was no way he was going to be there for long, and he would help him rise through those rankings. They had completed their goal of getting into the Academy. Ryu clenched a fist. Now they had a new goal, to reach the top. He wasn't going to let anything stand in his way.

"To those who made it in, congratulations," Fumihiro said. "Please keep an eye out for that letter. For those who didn't, fear not, for we will keep watching. There's always next year, and I expect to see many of you back here then. Until then, thank you all for coming here today, and good fortune be with you all!"

"The media will be waiting outside," Hikari said after a moment's silence. "We realise many of you live outside of Shibuya, so we have arranged for individual transports to get you all home from the facility here today. Be well, and for those who succeeded, we will see you in two weeks' time. Thank you for attending!"

Ryu's heart beat hard in his chest as he and Kenji both still seemed stuck, unable to believe they had finally made it. As those who hadn't made the cut began to wonder off, he noted he wasn't the only one who had stayed that little bit longer, soaking in the feeling that the 20 of them were now experiencing. It was something he was going to hold onto for a long time.

"I have to call my mum," Kenji said.

"So do I," Ryu realised. "Let's do it in the car."

Kenji nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good," he said. "I can't believe we are getting escorted home."

"We're in the Academy now, Kenji. That take care of their own."

"That's true," Kenji grinned. "I still can't believe it!"

\- _I told you_ -

"Yeah, you did," Ryu whispered as the two began heading for the exit. "Do I get another reward?"

-_ No. You are doing fine for now -_

"So, there are more cards coming, then?" Ryu deduced.

\- _Of course_ -

"Good," Ryu said. "I'll need them to become number one."

\- _We will see -_

As the two headed for the exit, Ryu felt the ecstasy of the situation began to filter out of him, replaced by a calm resolve. He knew he wasn't going to be number one from the start. Hell, he was still relying on government made cards to ensure his deck ran as best it could. Now, though, he had the best opportunity life could have given him, and he would grab it in both hands. He would become the best in the class. He would get answers about his Spirit. And he would finally complete his deck and make it the best that it could be.

And nothing was going to stand in his way.

* * *

_**Coming Soon - Welcome to Spirited Academy**_


	6. Welcome to Spirited Academy

**Chapter Six: Welcome to Spirited Academy**

* * *

The two weeks passed a lot quicker than Ryu expected. After calling their families and celebrating through the night at their accomplishments, the Kagayaku's and the Shinja's had gotten to work in preparation. Since all Spirited Academy students lived on campus, most of the time was spent getting all of Ryu's belongings ready to be transferred over to the dorm room he would be given. His parents had at first been a little apprehensive about him moving out so soon after finishing high school, if only because they wouldn't get to see each other much once the semester started. it meant most nights were spent together as a family, either going out for meals, watching movies, or spending more time with Kenji's family as they were going through similar motions. They caught up with Hayami, Akio and Masumi twice during this period, spending one night at Hayami's and another at Akio's as the five prepared to split and go their separate ways. Akio was going to study to become a personal trainer, while Masumi and Hayami both had ambitions to get into the journalism business. Funnily enough, Ryu noted that both of those jobs meant there was a good chance they would all stills find themselves running into each other thanks to the nature of their work. It wasn't necessarily a surprise to him, but it was reassuring for the group to know that this wouldn't be the last time they all got to see each other, despite the rigorous studies they would all be going through.

The attention from the press also heightened during this time. Word had gotten around quickly of who the 20 new students to Spirited Academy would be, despite the Academy not officially announcing the students until the first day of the new semester. It had made getting prepared to leave more difficult than usual, as there had been at least a handful of reporters or photographers near the property on most days. Fortunately, since it was Spirited Academy he was heading to, the Academy had provided them with the transport trucks and other vehicles necessary to move Ryu's belongings into his dorm, where they would all be set up for him from the moment he arrived. It was something he was thankful for, as despite the best of intentions, Ryu had never been one for interior design. He knew if he had much of choice in getting his dorm in order, it would likely end in disaster. While he was sure others would end up personalising their rooms as the semester went on, it just wasn't something he saw himself doing. Nevertheless, given the state Kenji's room was always in, he looked forward to seeing how he would handle the environment at Spirited Academy, and whether they'd let him get away with the mess he usually had.

The first day of the semester was on them before they knew it, and when Ryu woke, the total bareness of his room finally got to him. All that was left was the bed itself, and a chair from downstairs which had his clothes for the day, a smart buttoned shirt and jeans, along with his disk resting on top of those, his bag to the side. He could hear his parents moving downstairs, likely up nice and early due to the anxiety of the day. It was barely sunrise, and yet he knew he didn't have much time. The escort to eastern Akiruno, where the Academy was located on the edge of Tokyo, would take nearly an hour and a half, and since the welcoming ceremony began at 10 in the morning, he had little over an hour to get prepared to be picked up. While his parents had spent plenty of time with him last night, this would prove to be the last time for certain that they would see each other for quite some time. It was a sobering thought, but Ryu knew it was the nature of maturity. He had to leave the nest at some point.

Rising from his bed, he wandered over a got dressed, dropping the disk carefully into the backpack beside the chair. Surprisingly, Ki seemed absent today, but Ryu didn't mind too much. It would allow him to focus as necessary for the time being, although he was sure the Spirit would have plenty of words of wisdom once he popped back up. Straightening his bed hair in the mirror and making sure his shirt was sitting correctly, he grabbed the bag and slung it over his shoulder, heading downstairs.

"You're awake!" Saku said, a smile growing on his mum's face as she saw him.

"Figured it was about time," Ryu said, as a familiar smell wafted into his nose.

"Since it's your last day here, we thought we would make you your favourite breakfast," his dad said from behind Saku in the kitchen. "Bacon and eggs with pancakes."

"You didn't have to," Ryu said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, hush," Saku said as Ryu put his bag on the countertop. "Now eat. The escort from S.A will be here in an hour, you know."

Eat he did, his parents sitting and talking with him as best they could as he wolfed down the delicious food. He could tell his mother was rather emotional, holding back tears as best she could as 8am approached. Itsuki continued to reassure her it would all be okay, especially since he worked halfway between Kita and Akiruno and would be close, but Ryu knew his mother well. She wouldn't stop worrying until she saw him next, but she would also be trusting in him and in the Academy. It was a bit of an interesting dichotomy to her that Ryu had always found interesting, but it was also something he hoped he had inherited from her. It was good to care about your loved ones, no matter how safe you knew they were.

The hour came, and the family said their final goodbyes. His mother was still doing a good job and holding back her emotions, also Ryu guessed having his father so close by was likely helping a lot. A man in a suit waited outside next to sleek black car with the S.A logo on the side, and with one look back and a wave to his parents, who waved back, before getting in. Rolling down the window, he continued to wave as his mother finally broke down, crying into her hands as his father held her, waving as the car pulled away from the curb and headed for their destination.

Although it took about as long as Ryu had expected, the journey felt shorter to him than he had anticipated. With his phone in hand, he chatted with his parents, his friends, and especially Kenji a lot on the way over, his friend apparently unable to sit still in the back of the car, much to Kenji's escort's dismay. Nevertheless, weaving through traffic seemed a rather trained skill his driver possessed, and so Ryu did not have to deal with much of the maligned early-morning traffic that usually came about in the city. The peace of the ride also allowed him to go through his cards once again, still annoyed somewhat at the number of generic cards he had in his possession. They were undoubtedly quite useful, but he knew he would have to outgrow them soon, or he would risk falling behind the others in his class. He doubted those at the top needed to worry about government-created cards like he did.

Finally, after the urban sprawl of the city slowly began to recede, Spirited Academy came into new. Nestled into a mountainside on the edge of Akiruno proper, the tall, sleek buildings stood in stark contrast to the wildlife around it. That said, as he caught glimpses of the Academy between buildings on their approach, he noted the grounds of the Academy seemed to stretch back away from the town for some time. He realised these were likely training grounds of sorts, as Spirited Academy was noted for allowing the students a lot of freedom when it came to duels and practising using their monsters outside of duels. This would normally be discouraged due to the collateral damage that would come from doing this, but Ryu surmised the Academy had taken precautions for this, allowing its students to use their abilities to their fullest. Ryu looked forward to it.

Receiving a text from Kenji to say he was waiting just inside the main building, Ryu's escort pulled into the entrance to the Academy. Unsurprisingly, media surrounded the entrance, held at bay by a row of security either side of the opening in the wall that surrounded the compound. Stepping out of the vehicle, Ryu gave a little wave as cameras started flashing, slinging his bag over his shoulder as the car he came in on drove off. Making sure not to show his abrasiveness at the situation, he headed into the Academy, smile on his face and waving slightly to ensure the photographers got the content they were looking for. While he didn't blame those in attendance for their annoyance, as he knew they had likely been ordered to come here by their respective companies, Ryu wished he would get _some _kind of break from them when he was wondering around. That said, now that he was inside the Academy proper, he doubted he would see much of them beyond sanctioned events, as was the way of S.A.

"Ryu! Over here!"

The call came from one of the couches inside, where Ryu saw Kenji waiting for him. There were a few others around, keeping mostly to themselves on the vast array of comfy red couches that adorned the reception area. There was a desk on the other side of the entrance, and beyond both seemed to lead into the rest of the Academy, which made sense. Heading over to Kenji, Ryu got a couple of looks from the others already there, but they quickly returned to whatever they were doing.

"Number 12 arrives twelfth, isn't that funny?" Kenji said as Ryu sat down next to him, placing his bag on the ground between his legs.

"Sure, why not?" Ryu said with a quizzical look.

Kenji laughed. "Ah man, I can't believe we are finally here," he said. "How'd Saku handle it?"

'About what you'd expect," Ryu said, earning a knowing nod from Kenji. "Hana?"

"Eh, she's been a teacher longer than she's had me, so she's used to seeing children go off into the world," Kenji said. "She seemed alright with it. Dad was the struggling one, funnily enough."

"I'm just glad they won't have to deal with the mess outside as much anymore," Ryu said.

"Right? How crazy was it?" Kenji said, leaning forward. "I can't remember it ever being like that."

"It's S.A, I suppose it makes sense," Ryu said.

"There's another one," Kenji said, as another student, a female with red hair, walked in. "7 left now. I wonder what we are going to do first day."

"Well, there's the welcoming ceremony, but beyond that I'm not sure," Ryu admitted. "I would assume we will get shown the dorms, maybe homeroom? I'm not sure how they would run it here."

"Neither," Kenji said. "I guess we will find out, hey?"

Their conversation faded out as the pair soaked in the occasion, the clock passing 9:30am as two more students walked in, making it 15 waiting in the reception. Ryu was somewhat surprised there was no one from the Academy here with them, but he also suspected they were waiting for everyone to arrive before making themselves known. Given what little he knew of how Spirited Academy operated, he suspected the second and third years would be heading to the welcoming ceremony in the main arena now, which he knew from previously broadcasted duels from the Academy could be found in the centre of the complex, on the other side of the buildings he could see through the glass doors in that direction. He didn't know what would happen during the ceremony, however, and so he found excitement brimming lightly within him as the time approached.

The final five students arrived in quick succession, bringing the total number of students in the reception area up to twenty. Looking around, Ryu counted 11 guys and 9 girls, a rather even spread that he was happy to see. In his limited experience with Spirited so far, the vast majority had been male, although he had never been able to discern why, but he was happy to see this would not be the case in his time at the Academy. Suddenly, not a minute after the final student had arrived, the doors that led into the rest of the compound opened, and in walked a woman dressed in jeans and buttoned shirt. Black hair, she smiled brightly as she entered, every student turning their attention to her as the doors closed behind her, with Ryu noting the duel disk on her arm.

"Good morning everyone!" the woman said with a wave. "My name is Yui Hamasaki, and it's my pleasure to formally welcome you to Spirited Academy! I hope everyone got here alright?"

A few nods were shared amongst the group.

"Fantastic!" Yui said, clapping her hands together. "Since we are all here, let's get you all moving! The welcoming ceremony will begin in 20 minutes, so I would ask that you all come with me straight away with any bags you may have with you. When we get to the stadium, just place them under your seats and we will be good to go, okay? Okay! Let's go!"

Sharing a look with Kenji, Ryu slung his backpack over his shoulder and moved out with the rest of the group. Heading through the doors into the Academy proper, Ryu noted the layout of the compound as they walked and Yui spoke. As he had suspected, the buildings between the reception and the main stadium were the study buildings, where he assumed most of the technical work would be done. On either side of these were offshoots into smaller dueling arenas, as well as fitness areas like cross-country routes, bike and run paths, and even an entire oval dedicated to different sports often shown in the Olympics. It was difficult for Ryu to get his head around, but he knew time would be his friend on that behalf. With a school of only 60 students, they didn't have to accommodate for a large number of people like other universities and academies, and so they could condense the space they used somewhat. He reckoned he would know the place top to bottom within about a month, if he was lucky.

Rounding the last corner, the main stadium came into view. Of about the same size as the one in Shibuya, he knew it would basically be empty on their arrival, as Spirited Academy did not allow those not a part of the school into the ceremony itself. Despite this, as they entered the stadium, there was more people in attendance than he had anticipated, and Ryu surmised they were likely all of the janitors and groundskeepers that kept the Academy looking fresh at all times. Given the scope and size of the place, it was not surprising that there would be a lot of extras involved.

"Ah, right on time," came a familiar voice from the centre of the stadium. "Everyone, could you please join me in welcoming the new class of cadets to our Academy!"

A cheer came from the 200 or so in attendance, all of which were seated on chairs on the concrete floor of the stadium, as the class of 20 led by Yui Hamasaki trundled in. Leading from the front, the teacher directed the students to sit at the empty seats at the front of the stage, and elevated square placed in the exact centre of the stadium which Ryu quickly realised was a dueling arena. Standing atop it was the Director, Fumihiro Nagayama, who gave them all a smile as they entered and Yui moved to join him.

"Welcome, welcome, I'm sure many of you are feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment, and that's alright!" Fumihiro said. "Isn't that right, Miss Hamasaki?"

"That's right, Director!" Yui said, appearing next to him with her own mic as she waved at the crowd, a few cheers from the older years coming from behind him. "This is old news for the second and third years, but here at Spirited Academy, we focus on helping you become the best you can be. So, if you're overwhelmed, that's alright! We will help you work through it all!"

Fumihiro nodded. "On top of that, we have a belief as an Academy," he said. "Actions speak louder than words, and that is reflected in our motto, 'Be the legend, rise above.' It means that we, as duelists, never back down, never surrender, and we give it our all in our goal of entertaining the world and be the heroes the next generation can look up to!"

"A bit generic, don't you think?" Kenji whispered.

"Perhaps creativity isn't their strong suit?" Ryu replied.

"That said, we are also not one to stand on ceremony," Yui continued. "So, to the second and third years, what time is it?"

"It's time to duel!" they all shouted back.

"A duel?" Kenji said. "Who?"

"That's right, new blood," Fumihiro said. "To start the new school year, we invite the person who finished 1st in the entrance exam up on stage for a very special opportunity. So, where is Rei Kurokaen? I hope you're ready!"

Four seats to his right, a young woman stood up, and Ryu immediately recognised her as the red-haired woman who had seen enter just after him at the reception. She was only slightly shorter than he was, but surprisingly didn't strike him as someone who was that fit, and was thicker and curvier than most of the other girls in attendance, reminding him of Hayami in many ways. It seemed he wasn't the only one to notice her rather average figure for a Spirited, as he noted others around her began to murmur ever so slightly.

"Ah, there you are!" Yui said. "Please, come join us on stage!"

"She's number one?" Kenji asked as the redhead joined the teachers on stage, duel disk ready.

"Spirits reward cards based off of personal physical and mental growth," Ryu said. "Is it possible she got to number one without focussing much on growing physically fitter and stronger?"

"Now, Rei, at the start of each year we invite the number one first year up on stage for a very simple reason," Fumihiro said. "You see, as an Academy, we are focussed on duels and so, we would like you to pick one of your fellow first years to duel against right here, right now!"

A cheer went up from the older years. "No way," Kenji said. "A duel already?"

Rei took the microphone from Yui. "There's only one student amongst you I want to duel," she said a silky-smooth voice. "The one who Taiki Muteki has taken such an interest in. Ryu Kagayaku."

Ryu felt a breath catch in his throat as his fellow first years glanced around in search of him. Standing gingerly, he heard murmurs all around him as he stole a glance at Kenji, who could only give him a thumbs-up and a smile in support. His body felt tingly as he felt the beady eyes of dozens of people behind him boring into his skull, their mere glances making him feel like just wanted to run.

"There he is!" Fumihiro said. "Ryu, come join us on stage!"

A few claps arose from those in attendance as Ryu left his seat beside Kenji, duel disk ready, and walked to the side of the gathering and up the stairs found there to join Fumihiro, Yui and Rei on the stage. Looking out over the crowd, he left a lump in his throat. Unlike previous times being in the limelight, he felt a certain sense of unease growing over him. Being in front of the entirety of the most prodigious dueling academy in the country was entirely different to being in front of his high school, and he could only he could perform to the standards they expected.

"There has been much talk about you since the entrance exam, Ryu, as it came to light that Taiki Muteki watched your exam," Fumihiro said. "How was that like?"

Ryu took the microphone from the Director. "Distracting," he said, earning a few laughs here and there. "He had said he enjoyed the duel I was in that was broadcast across the country, but honestly, I'm still not sure why he decided to watch my exam."

"You don't think he may have his eye on you?' Fumihiro pressed.

Ryu shook his head. "I don't see why," he replied. "There's 11 people here who are doing better than me. He should be looking at them."

"That's why I chose you, Ryu," Rei said, staring at him with deep green eyes. "I want to see what you're made of."

"Alright then, let's get this party started!" Yui said. "Ryu and Rei, please take your positions either side of the stage. To everyone else, let's move into the stands to get a better view, shall we?"

The third years were easily the first out of their chairs, dashing to get the seats that were basically over the duelist's shoulders. With a huff and a look of encouragement from Kenji, Ryu headed right towards the closest end of the arena, Rei doing the same and heading left. He noted the dampeners that were in-built into the concrete floor of the arena, situated around the edges of the raised area. While they weren't used on the profession dueling circuit, it seemed the Academy still liked to have them in place until the students were able to physically stand up to the impacts the monsters were capable of. Nevertheless, as the two readied their duel disks, as well as the headsets which had been placed on either end of the arena, and the dampeners came on, Ryu steeled himself for what was to come. He knew his opponent likely had a decent understanding of his deck due to everything he had been a part of, and yet he knew nothing of her deck. It only stood to reason, therefore, that it would be smart to let her go first and see what happened.

"So, who will get this started?" Fumihiro asked from the stands behind Rei, microphone still in hand.

"You can, Rei," Ryu said.

"Very well," she replied, looking him in the eye. "Let's begin."

**_DUEL!_**

Both duelists drew their five cards, and Ryu glanced down at his. To say it wasn't ideal would be an understatement. Noting Ki's absence from the picture, Ryu knew there had been a chance of this happening. That said, despite the quality of the hand, there was still plenty of plays he could make, but it would all depend on the board his opponent made this turn. Looking in her direction, his eyes met hers and he felt his breath quicken slightly. Whatever she was about to do, he could not take it lightly.

"I end my turn."

Ryu felt the cogs in his brain grind to a halt, and hushed whispers began to fill the stadium. It seemed that he wasn't the only one trying to figure out her motives, as she had agreed to go first only moments before. He toyed with the idea of her having bricked, but he quickly dismissed the idea. The woman standing too calmly before him had been designated as the best of the new students by the Academy, and there had to be a reason for it. And yet, despite the warning signs, Ryu knew he couldn't hesitate. If he wanted to show the rest of the school what he was capable of, now was the time.

"My turn!" he said, drawing a card.

* * *

_Rei – 4000 LP/Hand – 5/Field – nil_

**_Ryu – 4000 LP/Hand – 6/Field – nil_**

* * *

"I'll summon **Reiki Caller**! (Level: 4/**ATK: 1600**/DEF: 1200)," he said, the shrouded female figure appearing on the field before him. "And then, I will activate her effect! By paying 800 LP, I can special summon a** Reiki** monster from my hand or Deck!"

"I will chain the effect of **Nihil Illithid** from my hand!" Rei countered, revealing the card. "If you activate a monster effect on the field, I can negate that effect, then equip this monster to your monster as an Equip Spell card!"

As Ryu's LP dropped to 3200 due to the payment being a cost, grey tentacles shot up from underneath **Caller** as she went to activate her effect, pinning her arms to her body and wrapping around her. However, that was not the end of it, as Ryu looked down at his duel disk to notice that her level had also dropped to 1.

"What did you do?" he demanded.

"**Illithid**, when equipped to a monster, stops that monster from attacking, drops that monster's level to 1 and prevents it from leaving the field," Rei replied. "And if you're thinking of using her for a Fusion or Synchro Summon, don't. You can't use her as material for a summon either."

Ryu scowled as more whispers came from the onlookers. It was a powerful effect, and capable of locking him out of the duel if he wasn't careful, as it seemed her reason for passing was so she had as many in hand as possible, as Ryu guessed the other members of her deck likely shared similar effects. However, he noted that it **Illithid** only triggered on the activation of a monster's effect, and looking own at his hand, a path began to open up to him.

"I activate the Quick-Play spell, **Emergency Teleport**!" Ryu said, activating the card. "I can special summon a Level 3 or lower Psychic monster from my deck, but its banished during the End Phase! Come, the Tuner monster, **Reiki Master**! (Level: 2/ATK: 100/**DEF: 2100**)."

Whispers continued as the old monk appeared. Looking in Rei's direction, he noted the girl had not made a move to play a card, which likely meant she had nothing in hand that triggered on the summon of a monster. Ryu stopped himself from smiling at this, as he knew the next test was to come.

"**Master**, if Normal or Special Summoned, banishes a **Reiki **monster from my hand or deck, and so I will banish **Reiki Overloader** from my deck!" Ryu said, and much to his delight, the effect went off without any interference. He had to press the advantage. "Then, I will activate **Master**'s second effect! By paying LP equal to a banished** Reiki** monster's level times 200, I can summon it to my field!"

"I chain the effect of **Nihil Grell** in my hand, equipping it to **Master **the same way **Illithid** is equipped to **Caller**!" Rei cut in, revealing the card.

Ryu's LP still dropped by 1200 to an even 2000 thanks to **Master's** effect, but that effect was negated as the **Grell** was equipped to it. This time, a giant floating brain with a beak appeared above **Master**, tentacles dripping down from beneath it and gripping the monk in a vice-like hold, the monster crying out in pain as, just like with **Caller**, its Level dropped to 1.

"A monster equipped with **Grell** cannot activate its effects, its Level is 1, and it cannot leave the field, not even by **Emergency Teleport**'s effect," Rei said, staring directly at him. "And, like **Illithid**, you cannot use him as material for a summon."

Ryu kept going. "I thought you might have a second card like that, but it seemed you cannot counter spells, can you?" he said, earning no reaction from Rei. "I activate another spell, **Reiki Connection**! If I control two or more **Reiki** monsters, I can special summon 1 Level 6 or lower banished **Reiki** monster, and while its effects will be negated, I also regain half its ATK as LP! Appear, **Reiki Overloader**! (Level: 6/**ATK: 2200**/DEF: 2100)."

Whispers turned positive as the monster, wearing a black vizor and gloves, appeared on his side of the field. Since Rei had not countered it, it meant he now had the opportunity to push for damage, and even though **Caller** couldn't attack, Overloader would still be able to put in some big damage. With the 1100 LP gain raising him back up to 3100 LP, Ryu steadied himself with a breath. Her deck was formidable, but not untouchable.

"Battle!" he said. "**Reiki Overloader**, attack Rei directly!"

"I chain the effect of **Nihil Otyugh** in my hand!" Rei said. "If your monster declares an attack, I can negate that attack and equip **Otyugh** to it as an Equip Spell!"

Ryu felt his heart sank as vine-like appendages tipped with thorn-covered leaves whipped out from the Spell/Trap zone Rei placed the card into, wrapping themselves around **Overloader** and stopping him in his tracks. Looking instinctively down at his duel disk, he saw the monster's Level trickle down to 1, just like the other two Reiki monsters that were on his field, but he felt his breath catch in his throat as it's ATK dropped to 0 as well.

"**Otyugh** makes the monster its equipped to Level 1, its ATK 0, and like the others, you cannot use it as material for a summon, as well as preventing it from leaving the field," Rei said. "You'll have to do better than that."

Ryu felt himself involuntarily take a step back at the words. All three of his monsters were restrained, at the complete mercy of the monsters that were equipped to them. He had no way of getting them off his field, and were sitting ducks to be picked off next turn with whatever else was waiting in Rei's hand. Glancing down at his own, he grimaced at the fact that there was nothing he could do now. He could only play what he had and hope for the best.

"I set three cards face-down," he said, emptying his hand. "Turn over."

* * *

**_Rei – 4000 LP/Hand – 2/Field – Illithid, Otyugh, Grell (as equips)_**

_Ryu – 3100 LP/Hand – 0/Field – Caller, Master, Overloader, three face-downs_

* * *

"My turn," Rei said, drawing a card. "You must know, Ryu, that I chose my words very carefully when describing the effects of my **Nihil** monsters."

"How so?' he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You cannot use them as material for a summon, but _I _can," she replied.

Ryu's eyes went wide. "You can't possibly mean…"

"All **Nihil** XYZ Monsters can also be summoned by using monsters my opponent controls that are equipped with a **Nihil** monster," Rei said, raising a hand to the sky. "Therefore, using the now Level 1 **Reiki Caller, Reiki Master, **and** Reiki Overloader**, I build the Overlay Network!"

Ryu looked up above the stadium as a swirling golden galaxy appeared, and his monsters were released from their restraints as they vanished into black trails, entering the centre of the galaxy as he tried to search his brain for an answer. XYZ Monsters were the most powerful monsters that Spirits only gave to the strongest duelists, and Rei had just wiped out his entire field of monsters to summon one.

"Ruler of the hidden dark, unite the realms beyond and come forth in your splendour! XYZ Summon! Appear, Rank 1! **Elder Nihil Acererak**! (**ATK: ?/**DEF: ?)," Rei called to the sky, and the beast descended.

Black energy burst forth from the swirling galaxy, and a wreathed figure descended onto the field. A skeleton still covered in thin, grey flesh, with black holes where the eyes were supposed to be, the monster wore torn, hooded black robes across his body, wielding black flames in both of his hands. The lich towered over the field, standing taller than twice the height of the two duelists, and Ryu felt his heart race just at the sight of the creature, light seeming to bend around it as if trying to avoid touching the beast.

"**Acererak** gains ATK and DEF equal to the original ATK or DEF of its current XYZ materials, whichever is higher," Rei continued. "The monsters it used had a combined defence of 5400, so its current ATK and DEF are now 5400!"

Gasps from the crowd were drowned out as the beast roared, its stats climbing much higher than Ryu would be able to withstand. However, as he looked in rei's direction, he could tell from her movements that she still wasn't done.

"Next, I activate the effects of** Illithid, Grell **and** Otyugh **in my graveyard! Since the monsters they were equipped to were used for an XYZ Summon, I can special summon them all to my field, but they are banished if they leave the field! Come, my monsters!"

Ryu gritted his teeth as three more monsters appeared on her field. **Illithid** appeared, a humanoid figure with tentacles instead of a mouth and tentacles stretching down where its hands should have been, covered in similar black robes to **Acererak. Grell** appeared as before, the beak embedded in the giant brain screeching on appearance. **Otyugh**, too, appeared, the vines he had seen before now sprouting from the back of the mass of body held up by three giant legs. Green in colour, the mass itself had random mouths and eyes covering its surface, in an unsettling conglomeration of different body parts that were in all the wrong places. Fortunately for Ryu, there were all Level 1 with no attack nor defence, but judging by the look in Rei's eye, they were here to serve a different purpose.

"**Acererak's** monster effect activates!" Rei said. "Once per turn, by tributing 1 other **Nihil** monster I control, I can choose either monsters, spells, or traps, and destroy all of the declared type that you control! If they're face-down, they are revealed without activating their effects, and if they are not the declared type, they are returned to their original position."

"You planned this from the beginning, didn't you?" Ryu realised.

Rei gave no response. "I tribute **Otyugh**, and declare trap cards," she said instead. "Now, reveal those three face-downs!"

Knowing there was nothing he could do, Ryu pressed a button on his disk and the three traps revealed themselves. All based around either recovery or battle, neither of which he was able to do, Ryu could only watch on as **Acererak** reached down and grasped **Otyugh** in one hand, burning it alive in black flame before throwing it at Ryu's traps, wiping them all out in a single blow, the force of the wind from the explosion knocking him back slightly as he protected himself.

"What a waste," Rei muttered. "Let's end this. Battle! **Acererak**, attack Ryu directly! Void Flare!"

Ryu braced for the worst, but even he knew immediately it wouldn't be enough. The lich screeched as it rose both of hands to the sky, black flame growing in his hands until it formed a ball almost as large as himself before throwing it at Ryu. Smacking him in the face, he felt the dampeners straining to keep the worst of the damage away from him, but it was not enough as Ryu was thrown from the stage, down the stairs he had walked up on before coming to a halt at the bottom. Catching his breath as he felt his body complain at the impact, he re-adjusted his glasses and looked up in the direction of the stage, where he saw Rei standing at the top, the lich looming behind her.

"Disappointing."

A cheer went up from the crowd as Ryu's LP officially dropped to 0. Brushing himself off, Rei's remaining monsters disappeared as she walked away from him, back to the centre of the stage. Getting back to his feet, Ryu forced himself back up the stairs and into the limelight, not daring to join the red-haired woman in the centre of the stage as he heard their headsets click off, remotely turned off likely by one of the teachers. Glancing up into the stands, he saw the Director reach for his microphone once more.

"What a way to start the new year!" he said, a cheer coming from those in attendance. "First years, welcome! Welcome to Spirited Academy!"

* * *

_**Coming Soon - A New Beginning**_


	7. A New Beginning

**Chapter Seven: A New Beginning**

* * *

Ryu felt the weight of the world bearing down on his shoulders. The red-haired girl before him paid him no mind as he finally joined her in the middle of the stage, waiting for the next words from Fumihiro Nagayama, the Director of the Academy. He had hoped to make a big impact on his first day by doing well against the number one in the class. Instead, all he had done was show everyone, including himself, just how far from the top he truly was. Frustrated, Ryu forced himself to push his emotions aside for the moment to focus on whatever was to come next.

"After such a wonderful display from the new number one of the first-year class, I think it's time to get into the rest of the day," Fumihiro said. "To the second and third years, if you would please return to your homerooms, and staff, if you could please head off to prepare for the rest of the day. As for the newcomers, if you could all please head to the stadium entrance, I believe your new homeroom teacher is waiting for you. Good luck, and once again, welcome to Spirited Academy!"

Hearing Rei huff beside him, she turned wordlessly and headed for the entrance immediately, with the others in attendance slowly beginning to shuffle off. Taking a moment longer to soak in the atmosphere around him, Ryu found himself unable to concentrate as thoughts of the duel played out in his mind. Not only had he been hopeless against her deck, he almost felt like she had been holding back. She had won with three cards still in hand, any one of them a new possible counter or a new strategy that Ryu would have to face eventually if he wanted to reach the top.

Sighing, he followed after Rei, who had already made it to the edge of the arena. He had a lot of work to do, and he had no idea where to start. The thoughts continued to swirl in his mind long after retrieving his backpack and joining up with the rest of the class, many amongst them giving him looks he really wished he didn't have to see. Despite all this, Kenji seemed upbeat, but said nothing as they reached the entrance and found a man standing in front of them. Wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans, the middle-aged man bore an unkept beard along with long brown hair that hung down slightly beyond his shoulders. Despite the seemingly care-free appearance, however, there was an intensity to his eyes that grew his presence far beyond Ryu's own, even though Ryu was noticeably taller than him. Interestingly, there was no duel disk on his arms.

"My name is Gen Amamiya, and I'm your homeroom teacher," the man said in a surprisingly raspy voice. "If you'll all follow me, I'll show you to your dorms."

"Shouldn't we have a look around campus first?" came a voice from the group. A girl, thinner than most with short brown hair. "That way we can get used to the facilities straight away."

Gen's eyes flashed as he spun his head around, and the group stopped in its tracks. "Who said that?" the teacher demanded.

The girl, who was on the shorter side, stepped forward. "I did, sir."

"What's your name, girl?" Gen asked.

"Akito," she replied. "Akito Ishizaki."

Gen's eyebrows rose in recognition. "So, the prodigal daughter of two famous scientists thinks she knows better than me, does she?" Gen said. "Alright then, you lead."

Akito faltered slightly. "Lead? What do you mean?"

"Well, it's clear you already seem to know what's best for everyone here, despite being the youngest," Gen continued. "So go on, lead the way."

The young girl seemed somewhat exasperated. "But I don't know the way," she said eventually.

"If you don't know the way, then don't try and direct people," Gen muttered. "Now, let's go to the dorms. Follow me."

Ryu could see that the girl named Akito's cheeks were red, but with a huff she fell back in line with the group as they continued onward, a few mutters springing up about what had just occurred. Thankfully for Ryu, it seemed the majority of those present had now turned their attention to Akito's antics and away from his dismal display of dueling, and while he knew she had brought it onto herself, he couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry for the girl.

Heading away from the main stadium and teaching buildings, the group soon found themselves walking amongst the trees down an incredibly well-kept path, and about ten minutes later they burst out into a clearing where a mansion-like structure made of wood and stone stood in stark contrast to the beauty of nature around it. With a slight nod of his head, the homeroom teacher walked them through the entranceway, a large archway that extended two stories up, only half as tall as the mansion itself. Ryu felt a sense of wonder spur within him as they headed inside, amazed at the ornate architecture that was a part of the building proper.

On the inside, the two huge wooden doors opened into a spacious atrium, couches lining the carpeted floors and screens lining the walls. On them, various different channels were playing, although Ryu quickly noted that about half were dedicated to the various dueling events that happened with regularity across the globe. Currently, the Australian Circuit, The European League and the Indian Union were all in season, duelists competing week-in, week-out to increase their ranking and make it to the finals at the end of the season. It was a brutal competition, made even tougher with the World Cup coming up in a year's time. If Ryu recalled correctly, Taiki was one of the frontrunners to win the singles in the Cup, but only time would tell how he would stand up against the best from across the world.

"As you can see, there are two doors either side of the stairwell," Mr. Amamiya said, drawing Ryu's attention away from the screens. "To the front is the dining area. All your meals, tailored to the health regimens you all sent through, can be found here for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. These will be available at set times every day, so take care not to miss out on that. The other door leads to a gym, where you will find all the equipment necessary to fulfil the fitness regimens you also sent through, and more."

"I'm assuming it's open 24 hours?" one student asked.

Gen nodded. "The door is never locked, so feel free to use it whenever it fits into your schedule," he said. "Now, let's head upstairs, and we can show you to your rooms."

There was plenty of headroom in the stairwell as they ascended one floor up onto the second floor of the building, and upon landing, where greeted with the sight of a wide open-plan space, massive windows adorning most of the walls. However, gasps of excitement went up from many of the students as they began to notice the pool tables, gaming consoles, arcade machines, and other entertainment machines that littered the floor, some of which Ryu wasn't even sure he had seen before.

"We expect there will be those among you who rather enjoy your downtime," Gen said. "Like the gym and the downstairs televisions, feel free to use this at your leisure, but this level is expected to be cleared by 10pm every night. The girl's level is directly above this, and although the sound insulation is impressive, we absolutely will not tolerate any disruption of the peace in this building. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," came a few mumblings.

"Good," Gen said with a nod. "Next level."

Following towards the back, they headed up another flight of stairs to reach the third level, and found themselves looking down a long hallway, three people wide with 14 doors lining the wall that they faced as they left the staircase. They all seemed somewhat identical, but Ryu quickly noted that all of the doors seemed to have plaques attached to the front of them with names on them.

"For the 9 girls amongst us, this is your floor," Gen said. "You will find everything we transported from your properties in the rooms with your names on it. Also, on the walls either side of us, you will find the communal bathrooms. Use at your leisure, but do keep them clean. Any problems you have with other students not pulling their weight, you bring them to me. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Boys, you'll find the exact same situation on the floor above us," Gen said. "Now, I want you all to get acquainted with your space, and once you have, meet me back outside at the entrance in an hour in your workout gear with your disks. Is that understood?"

"What will we be doing?" one student asked.

"Weren't you listening to the Director?" Gen huffed. "Dueling! Now get going. You have one hour."

Excitement spread amongst the crowd that quickly dispersed as the student made their way to their rooms. Sharing a look with Kenji, the boys headed upstairs to the top floor in a rush, and soon found themselves on the final flight landing. Looking up and down the hallway, Kenji and Ryu quickly noted with glee that their rooms had been placed next to each other, and with a wink from his friend, Ryu walked in through the door.

The first thing that struck him was the view. The far wall was one big window, a remote-controlled blind sticking down from the top slightly that Ryu guessed could go all the way down into a blackout blind if necessary. However, looking over the sun swept forest that separated their dorms from the academy buildings in the distance, Ryu wasn't sure it was something he would ever want to do. A glass door was built into the window, leading out onto a small balcony which had two small potted plants on it, one in either of the far corners with the roof slanting over it somewhat to provide cover if needs be. It was a view he felt sure he would find himself looking over many a time.

The interior, too, was just as impressive. White walled and about 6 square metres in size, on his right as he walked in was a queen bed nestled into the corner, fitted with white sheets and a black duvet, a set of his workout gear all ready to go on top of it. In front of him was a large desk with his dual-monitor computer already set up, his chair fitted neatly underneath what appeared to be an adjustable height black desk. Beyond that was a black couch situated just the far side of the middle of the room, a carpet and coffee table between it and his own television, which was playing the Australian Circuit duel he saw from earlier, although it appeared to now be entering its final stages. On the opposite side of that, backed up against the glass window, was a simple kitchen set-up, with a small half-fridge situated underneath an equal-sized pantry for Ryu to keep any supplements, snacks or drinks in. A small sink accompanied it, with what he quickly discovered was a simple set of plates, cups and cutlery in the cupboards below that. Coupled with the large wardrobe that was built into the wall, which he found all of his clothes and shoes in, and Ryu could've been mistaken for landing a penthouse apartment in the city. It was truly a sight to behold.

"Can you believe this?!"

Turning around from his position near the couch, Ryu could see Kenji standing in his doorway already in his workout gear with his disk on his arm, and sporting a grin the likes of which Ryu rarely saw adorning his friend's face.

"It's difficult to get my head around, that's for sure," Ryu admitted. "The view is insane."

"Right?" Kenji said, closing the door behind him. "We made it, man."

Ryu huffed. "We've got a long way to go," he said.

"You're really beating yourself up about that Rei girl, aren't you?" Kenji said, getting a light nod from Ryu. "Well what can you expect? Once the rumours started spreading, it was only a matter of time before people started coming after you like she did."

"She beat me without even trying, Kenji," Ryu said. "How am I supposed to make it to number one when there's someone like her standing in the way?"

"Same way everyone else does, practise, practise, and then practise again," Kenji said.

Ryu raised an eyebrow. "You telling me or yourself that?"

"Eh, six of one, half a dozen of the other," Kenji admitted with a shrug. "I've got a lot more ground to make up than you, after all."

"Makes me wonder how they will grade that," Ryu said. "You think they'd implement some sort of Elo system like the pro circuits?"

Kenji thought for a moment. "No, because then the likes of that redhead would just get too far ahead and no one would want to duel them," he surmised. "I imagine they've got a system in place to get us to duel a lot, with a lot of different people."

"That might be what they Mr. Amamiya tells us once we are downstairs," Ryu thought. "And why we have to bring our duel disks."

Kenji smiled. "I hope I get the chance to duel someone high up," he said. "That way I can show them just what 20th can really do."

"You really think you could do that?" Ryu said.

"Only one way to find out."

The two bickered back and forth for a little while, whittling away the hour they had been given by the homeroom teacher to soak in the experience of the rooms for the first time. As the hour approached, Ryu got changed into his gear and put his duel disk on his arm once more. Looking down at the deck, he only hoped he could do better with it this time around as he and Kenji joined the others in heading down to the entrance of the building. Outside, Gen Amamiya waited in the small open space between the building and the forest, looking in their direction with his arms crossed.

"Is that everyone?" he asked a few minutes later, doing a head count before nodding to himself. "Good, follow me."

The crew of 20 students followed the man back along the path through the forest towards the academy's buildings. Unlike last time, however, where the teacher had remained silent for the duration of the walk, this time he began to speak to the students, turning back to face them as they continued on.

"Here at S.A, you may have noticed we have ten practise arenas that surround the teaching buildings and the main stadium," he began. "For those among you that can count, that means each class can all be dueling one another at once across these ten arenas. This morning, we will be doing just that, allowing you to get a better grasp of the facilities we have here at the academy."

"You won't be with us?" one student asked.

"No, and for good reason," Gen said. "Once we arrive, you will be designated dueling partners and sent off to a specific arena. I will monitor your progress from inside the bottom floor of the teaching building, where you are to report once you have completed your duel. This will not only force you to interact with a new student and get to know each other, but will also likely expose you to a new kind of dueling, something you must all be ready for if you make it to the pro leagues."

"Isn't it weird to be left alone by the homeroom teacher on the first day?" the girl from earlier, Akito, piped up.

Gen gave her a dirty look. "You aren't in kindergarten anymore, aside from Noboru you're all basically adults," the teacher said, giving a look of recognition to the one male student that looked older than the others. "I'm not here to look after you. I'm here to push you to become greater, and I will not be on babysitting duty. So yes, sometimes you will be left alone to follow instructions without me around. If you can't handle that, you came to the wrong academy."

Akito grimaced at the words. "Yes, sir," she said with a defeated voice.

The walk continued on, those who had already made connections chatting away while the others walked in silence. Ryu and Kenji walked in silence away, content to soak in the gorgeous rays of the late morning sun seeping through the tree canopy as they prepared for what was to come. Ryu still could not feel Ki's presence, and it was something he wasn't overly fussed about. He did want to speak to him later, but for now it was good that he was able to concentrate on what was happening before him. It was a big day after all, and one he hoped would only get better as it went on considering how it started.

"Alright, here we are," Gen said as they returned to the edge of the main stadium. "Now, does everyone remember what position they were given at the exam two weeks ago."

"Yes, sir," said many within the crowd.

"Good, because that's how we will be pairing up today," Gen said. "I will explain how our ranking system works later, but for now, I would like everyone to pair up starting from number one with two, three with four, and so on. Go!"

Saying a quick goodbye to Kenji, Ryu scanned around for the girl who was 11th on the rankings, who he could hear calling his name as he had been revealed as 12th at the welcoming ceremony. Pushing between people as they began to pair off, Ryu eventually found the girl calling out for him, who turned out to be the shortest amongst them. Barely coming up to his shoulder, the girl was blonde with blue eyes, and surprisingly muscular given her size, although Ryu suspected that might have just stood out more due to her petite size.

"There you are," she said. "Ryu?"

"That's me," he said, bowing slightly. "And you are...?"

"Izumi Takeuchi," she said. "It's nice to meet you."

"You as well."

Gen's voice cut their conversation short. "Alright, has everyone found their pairs?" he said, getting nods from the crowd. "Good. I'll go through now and assign you to an arena."

"Will this affect our rankings?" the student Ryu noticed was partnered with Akito asked.

"No," Gen said, assigning Ryu and Izumi arena 6 as he walked past. "However, I will get into how duels can change your ranking once everyone's first duel is complete. Now go and duel! I expect you all back at the teaching building once you are done. Dismissed!"

The crowd dispersed, and Ryu and Izumi silently made their way towards arena 6, the one closest to the reception and teaching building on the left-hand side of the stadium. Walking down the vast open bricked pathway between the stadium and the arena, Ryu wanted to speak to the blonde, but found himself unable to do so. Cleaning his glasses, his mind only went back to the duel just before against Rei. Supposedly, this girl before him wasn't on the same level as her, and was indeed close to his own. But was that true? What if he also got blown away by her? Doubts swirled through his mind even as they entered into the practice arena.

Much smaller than the grand stadium at the centre of the academy, the arena had a dueling platform in the centre, dampeners surrounding it on the barriers between the ground itself and the three rows of seats that surrounded the arena. The race led straight from the open pathed area outside into the centre, with stairwells shooting off in either direction to get to the seats, and so Ryu soon found himself at the far end of the arena, turning back to face Izumi. Equipping the headset that was found in a box on the side of the arena, he readied his duel disk.

"Would you like to start?" Izumi said, her own disk at the ready and her voice coming loud and clear through Ryu's earpiece despite the distance of about 30 metres between them.

"I'm happy to let you go first," he said, knowing his deck preferred to go second.

Izumi smiled. "If that's what you want," she said, a sense of dread suddenly growing over Ryu. "Let's do this."

**_DUEL!_**

* * *

**_Coming Soon - The Thorned Rose_**


	8. The Thorned Rose

**Chapter Eight: The Thorned Rose**

* * *

Drawing his five cards, Ryu looked towards the other end of the arena as his opponent Izumi scanned the cards she had drawn. She seemed pleased, which only increased the sense of dread Ryu now felt. His hand was decent, and could be worked, but if Izumi was at a level even close to what Rei had been, he knew he was in for a tough fight. That said, she was supposed to only be the rank directly above him, which is theory meant they should be relatively even. However, there was only one way either of them was going to find out.

"Can I ask you something, Ryu?" Izumi said.

"Sure?" Ryu replied, one eyebrow raised.

"Is your Spirit with you?" she asked.

Ryu went to say no, but the mention of the Spirit drew a familiar presence to his mind.

"I think you woke him up," Ryu said with a slight laugh. "He finally decided to show up."

\- _I heard I was mentioned. What is going on?_ -

"Nothing, don't worry," Ryu said to Ki, turning his attention back to Izumi. "His name is Ki."

"The one with no name or appearance, right?" she said, earning a nod from the girl. "Shame. Ibara and I are so close, I can't imagine a Spirit not opening up to their partner like that."

_\- We are close -_

"He's a bit strange, but we are still good friends," Ryu said. "He does annoy me sometimes, though."

_\- That's not nice -_

Izumi nodded in understanding. "Well, I'm glad Ki is with you too," she said. "Ibara is with me, and I would hate for this to be as one-sided as your last duel, Ryu."

_\- What happened in the last duel? -_

"Don't worry about it," Ryu said. "Let's focus for now. She's the rank above me, by the way."

_\- Sounds important -_

"You could say that."

"Let's get things started then, shall we?" Izumi said. "I summon **Nettlebearer Fabaceae** from my hand! (Lvl: 4/**ATK: 1600**/DEF: 1300)."

Realisation dawned within Ryu as the monster appeared. A humanoid figure made up of green thorns and vines, it stood a little taller than himself, with all different types of flowers and buds of some kind sprouting from its body. From within him, he felt the same feeling dawn on Ki. Izumi's Spirit's name meant thorn. Of course her deck would be plant related.

_\- Ibara. I know that name. She's a forest spirit -_

"What was your first clue?" Ryu whispered with a huff.

"**Fabaceae's** monster effect activates! This allows me to add 1 **Nettle** card from my deck to my hand, and I choose **Nettleborne Verdant Armour**!" Izumi said. "Then, I will activate the spell card, **Nettleborne Fusion**! This allows me to fuse the **Nettlebearer Pyracantha** in my hand with the **Fabaceae** on my field!"

_\- A Fusion Monster. This will be strong -_

"Seed of the earth, become one with the fire and give birth to new life!" Izumi chanted. "Fusin Summon! Appear, Level 8! **Nettlebearer Xanthophloea** (**ATK: 2800**/DEF: 2600)."

The monster of the field disappeared in a column of fire, the two merging together in the sky as a bright light appeared. From it descended an Ent-like creature, a thin, pale tree with humanoid arms and legs, an ancient face buried in the upper part of the trunk. From its back and shoulders sprouted branches sporting light green leaves, thorns protruded from every part of its body, as if warding away every kind of predator imaginable.

"Next, I will equip the spell I searched before, **Verdant** **Armour**, to **Xanthophloea**!" Izumi said, equipped the card and causing the thorns on the monster to grow larger and greener than before. "Not only does it give the monster its equipped to another 500 ATK, but it also doubles the damage you take when you attack it."

"When I attack it?" Ryu asked as **Xanthophloea's** attack rose to 3300. "Why would I attack into it if I have less attack?"

Izumi smiled. "I suppose it's only fair I share how my deck works considering I know all about yours," she said. "The thorns on my monsters aren't just for show. Every one of them, if it is attacks or is attacked and I take damage from that battle, with deal you some amount of damage as well during that same Damage Step."

"Simultaneous battle damage?" Ryu said. "I've never heard of anything like that."

"Ibara is unique, that's for sure," Izumi said. "**Fabaceae**, for example, would have dealt 300 damage if you attacked it. **Xanthophloea** here would normally deal 500 damage, but with **Verdant Armour** equipped, he now will give you 1000 damage if you try and attack over him."

"And since I have a beatdown deck…"

"Good luck!" Izumi said with a smile. "I set two cards face-down. Your turn, Ryu!"

* * *

_Izumi – 4000 LP/Hand – 0/Field – Xanthophloea, Verdant Armour, two face-downs_

**_Ryu – 4000 LP/Hand – 5/Field – nil_**

* * *

This wasn't good. Looking at the field, Ryu had a hunch that the face-downs would likely aid in protecting Izumi's monsters in battle, as the longer her monsters stayed on the field, the more damage they could deal with their effect. He had never been a fan of protect-the-castle decks, but this one was particularly nasty. Looking down at his hand once more, there was only so much he was able to do in this scenario, but if he could just clear Xanthophloea from the field…

"My turn!" Ryu said, drawing a card. _This will help. _"I activate the Spell **Reiki Divination**! By halving any LP gain I get for the rest of the turn, I can add 1 **Reiki** card from my deck to my hand, and the card I choose to add is **Reiki Caller**!"

"Not **Energy**?" Izumi asked as Ryu added the card. "I heard that was a big help in the exam."

"Word got around about Taiki and my test pretty quickly, huh?" Ryu asked, earning a shrug from Izumi. "**Divination** halves any LP gain, and at this stage its not something I need. **Caller** is."

"Your hand was that bad? I won't interfere then," Izumi said, earning a quizzical look from Ryu. "I want to see what someone else at my level can really do. So come at me, Ryu!"

"You're on," Ryu said, filing away that titbit about not interfering for later. "I will summon out **Reiki Caller** in ATK position! (Lvl: 4/**ATK: 1600**/DEF: 1200)."

"You like nature too, right?" Izumi asked as the female in white and green appeared on Ryu's field.

"What makes you ask that?"

"**Reiki** in medical practise is all about spiritual energy," Izumi said. "Nature and spirits are tied hand in hand, you know."

"You seem to know a lot about my deck," Ryu said.

"I did research on every one of the names listed at the exam before we arrived here," Izumi replied. "I'm surprised you didn't."

_\- She's got you there -_

"Shut up," Ryu whispered to Ki, before turning his attention back to the duel. "Once per turn, **Caller** lets me pay 800 LP to summon 1 **Reiki** monster from my hand or deck! Come, **Reiki Master**! (Lvl: 2/ATK: 100/**DEF: 2100**)."

"That's a pretty standard combo for you, isn't it?" Izumi said as the old monk appeared and Ryu's LP dropped to 3200.

"It's an effective one, that's for sure," Ryu said. "**Master**, if Summoned, banishes 1 Reiki monster from my Deck or GY, and I will banish **Trancer**!"

"Not **Overloader**?" Izumi asked.

"You're full of questions, aren't you?" Ryu said, earning a smile from Izumi.

"And you're full of answers."

"I now tune my Level 2 **Master** with my Level 4 **Caller**!" Ryu said. "Energy within, grant us the power to restore the world! Become the fire that lights the path! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 6! **Reiki Healer**! (ATK: 1200/**DEF: 2600**)."

A new monster appeared, this one wreathed in green energy. Another woman wearing flowing white robes, she wore a mask over her face, covering any discernible features in a white cloth. The energy from her seemed to almost seep into the ground and the earth as she finally came to a stop just above the ground, and Ryu felt warmer just from being in her presence.

"Not only does **Healer** gains 100 DEF for each banished Reiki monster, but **Caller's** second effect now activates in my GY!" Ryu said. "If used as material for the summon of a **Reiki** monster, I can banish it to add 1 banished **Reiki** monster to my hand besides itself. So now, I'll recovered **Trancer** from the banished zone and add it to my hand!"

"You're going for **Warrior**," Izumi realised. "That's why you didn't search **Energy**. You need your LP to be lower."

Ryu grinned lightly. "That didn't take you long," he said. "I activate the effect of the **Trancer** I just added, paying 500 LP to summon it! Come, the Tuner monster, **Reiki Trancer**! (Lvl: 1/ATK: 300/DEF: 300)."

_\- She really isn't going to interfere, is she?_ -

Ryu nodded in agreement, his LP dropped to 2700. "I activate another spell., **Reiki Connection**!" he said. "If I control 2 or more **Reiki** monsters, I can Special Summon 1 Level 6 or lower banished **Reiki** monster with its effects negated and regain half its ATK as LP, although that will be halved again thanks to **Divination**. Re-appear, **Reiki Caller**! (Lvl: 4/**ATK: 1600**/DEF: 1200)."

"That's impressive synergy," Izumi said, Ryu's LP climbing by 400 back to 3100.

"I pay 800 LP to make **Trancer** Level 4 through its effect!" Ryu said, his LP falling again to 2300. "I tune my now Level 4 **Trancer** with my Level 4 **Caller**! Energy within, give birth to a champion of passion! Become the fire that lights the path! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 8! **Reiki Warrior**! (**ATK: 2500**/DEF: 2000)."

"He's amazing," Izumi said as the monk descended and joined Healer on the field. "Keep going! Please!"

\- _Keep going, Ryu_ -

"I wish I didn't have to use this card still," Ryu whispered to Ki, looking down at his hand.

_\- You won't when the time is right -_

"After Warrior gains 1700 ATK to become 4200 thanks to its effect, I activate the Spell **Polymerisation**, fusing the **Reiki Overloader** and **Reiki Regulator** in my hand together!" Ryu said once green energy finished surging through **Warrior**. "Energy within, call forth the ruler of the hearts of men! Become the fire that lights the path! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 8! **Reiki Overlord**! (**ATK: 2600**/DEF: 1800)."

Purple energy burst forth from the swirling mass formed by **Overloader** and **Regulator**, and from it came **Overlord**, wreathed and black with red energy coursing through the woman's body. Joining **Warrior** and **Healer** on the field, she stood between them to form a strong team of fighters, ready to face the tree that was facing them down from the other side of the arena.

"**Regulator's** effect activates!" Ryu said. "If used as material for the summon of a **Reiki** monster, I can banish it from the GY to regain 600 LP!"

"I can see now why Rei stopped you so early on," Izumi said as Ryu's LP jumped back to 2600, gaining only 300 instead thanks to **Divination**. "Your deck is strong."

"You could've stopped me, though," Ryu said.

Izumi shrugged. "Perhaps, but where is the fun in that?" she said. "We are at S.A! I don't want to stop you from learning new combos or stretching yourself further. That's just mean."

"Well, thank you," Ryu said. "I activate the effect of **Overlord**, banishing **Overloader** from my GY to gain its ATK until the End Phase!"

"That's 4800 ATK," Izumi said, red energy surging around the woman in black. "Amazing."

"Then, I will activate **Healer's** effect, letting me banish 1 **Reiki** from the GY in order to gain LP equal to its ATK, and I will banish **Caller**!"

_\- You're setting up for next turn, aren't you? -_

Ryu huffed as his LP rose by 800 to 3400, the effect halved thanks to **Divination**. Ki was, of course, correct. This girl before him was one rank higher than him according to S.A, and it meant that she had to at least be on his level, if not stronger. It meant that she had to be confident she would last beyond this turn even without utilising any potential interruptions she may have available to her, and it was the reason why Ryu had summoned **Overlord** in the first place. All **Reiki** Extra Deck monsters offered him some level of recovery, and if she did come at him next turn, he had to be ready to defend against that.

"Battle! **Warrior**, attack **Nettlebearer Xanthophloea**!" Ryu said. "Spirit Fist!"

Nodding in Ryu's direction, **Warrior's** right first burst to life, green energy surrounding it as the muscles in its body tensed. Leaping forward, **Xanthophloea** responded, its roots digging into the ground of the arena and pulling its right arm back, thorns extending from its fist. Meeting in mid-air, the two fists came together with an almighty bang, and smoke filled the arena. Looking down at his counter, Ryu saw it drop by 1000 to 2400 as Izumi had said it would, and as **Warrior** returned to his side, his righted himself from the explosion as the smoke cleared, only to gasp as **Xanthophloea** was found still standing on Izumi's side of the field.

"**Verdant Armour's** effect prevents the equipped monster from being destroyed in battle once per turn," she said, her LP dropping to 3100 since **Warrior** was currently 4200 ATK and **Xanthophloea** was 3300.

"But it also means it can't protect it from the next one," Ryu said, realising he had to get that tree off the field. "**Overlord**, attack **Xanthophloea**! Spiralling Strike!"

"I activate the effect of **Nettleborne Fusion** in my GY!" Izumi cried as **Overlord** clasped his hands together and red energy began to form. "If a **Nettlebearer** monster I control would be destroyed by battle, I can shuffle it back into my deck to prevent its destruction and halve the damage I would take!"

She finished speaking just as **Overlord** finished charging, and with an almighty bellow red energy burst forth from his hands, spiralling end over end towards the enemy before her. In response, thorns shot out from **Xanthophloea**, burying itself into her armour as the field once again became wreathed in smoke from the two explosions. As it cleared, Ryu's LP having fallen to 1400, he could see the tree was still standing, battered and bruised, but still on Izumi's field.

"That the best you got?" she said, her LP dropping by 750 to 2350.

"Overlord's effect activates!" Ryu said with a scowl. "If it inflicts battle damage, it gains that much ATK, meaning it now has 5550 ATK!"

"But it also loses 2200 at the end of the turn," Izumi said.

"I'm aware," Ryu said, miffed that **Xanthophloea** was still on the field along with the two face-downs. "I set one card face-down. Turn over!"

* * *

**_Izumi – 2350 LP/Hand – 0/Field – Xanthophloea, Verdant Armour, two face-downs_**

_Ryu – 1400 LP/Hand – 0/Field – Healer, Overlord, Warrior, one face-down_

* * *

Looking at his field, Ryu knew it was a strong one to end on. **Healer **had 2900 DEF since **Overloader, Caller **and** Regulator** were banished, and with **Warrior** on 4200 ATK and **Overlord** in 3350, meaning it would be hard for Izumi to attack through it. Even if she did destroy them, they provided a good level of recovery to help him into the next turn, but despite that, he also knew he would be relying on her to not wipe his field completely. He had no idea what the rest of her cards were capable of, especially those two face-downs, and so Ryu had to make sure he was ready for anything.

"My turn," she said, drawing a card and giving a disappointed look.

"Not the card you were hoping for?" Ryu asked.

"You could say that," she said. "Battle! **Xanthophloea**, attack **Reiki Healer**! Thorned Thrust!"

"You're attacking already?" Ryu asked in disbelief.

Izumi said nothing as the tree stepped forward, readying its fist once again to attack. Accepting her fate, green energy swirled around **Healer** as she began to hum slightly, raising his head to the sky. He could only watch on as the thorned fist came rumbling in, tearing through his monster with a single blow as she disappeared in an explosion of golden data.

"**Healer's** effect activates!" Ryu said. "If it's destroyed by an opponent's card, I can Special Summon 1 banished **Reiki** monster!"

"**Xanthophloea's** monster effect activates!" Izumi countered, cutting him off. "Once per turn, during either player's turn, I can negate the activation of an opponent's monster effect and destroy it!"

Ryu grimaced as the effect fizzled out. "No more letting me do as I please, I see."

"You used your entire hand and showed me exactly what you can do," Izumi said. "Now that I've seen it, it's time I started treating you as an equal."

"You weren't before?"

"You are a rank below me," she said. "Where I'm from, people had to prove their worth, and you proved to me last turn that you're worth taking seriously."

_\- She's strong -_

"I end my turn there," Izumi said. "No more holding back, Ryu. This turn, I will do everything I can to stop you."

* * *

_Izumi – 2350 LP/Hand – 1/Field – Xanthophloea, Verdant Armour, two face-downs_

**_Ryu – 1400 LP/Hand – 0/Field – Healer, Overlord, Warrior, one face-down_**

* * *

Ryu gritted his teeth. While her board hadn't changed at all in her turn, it hadn't needed to. He could attack with both of his monster's again, but even if she didn't have a way of stopping that, the effects of Verdant Armour meant that it would end up in a draw. Since he doubted Izumi would allow that to happen, it meant the two face-downs had to do something that would stop that from occurring. And yet, he had nothing available to him that would allow him to get around the defence she had set up.

_\- Stumped? -_

"Yes," Ryu whispered. "Her defence is too strong."

_\- Perhaps. Try this -_

Ryu was confused for a moment about what Ki meant, only for his eyes to grow wide as the slot for his Extra Deck monsters began to glow with a brilliant white light. An image began to form in his mind, and as it did, a path began to open up before him.

"He gave you a new card, didn't he?" Izumi realised.

Ryu nodded. "He can be kind sometimes. My turn!" he said, drawing a card. "Before we get to that, though, I activate my face-down card, **Psychic Overload**! By shuffling **Trancer, Master **and** Healer** from my GY into the Deck, I can draw two cards!"

"Generic support again," Izumi said, the smile disappearing from her face. "It's your crutch."

"It works," Ryu countered. "I activate a Spell, **Reiki Expansion**! If I control a **Reiki** monster, I can pay half my LP to draw 2 cards, and for the rest of this turn, you take half damage!"

"Any attack you make now will cause you to lose, you know that, right?" Izumi said as Ryu's LP dropped to 700 and his hand size grew to 4.

Ryu grinned. "I activate the Spell **Reiki Reload**! It lets me shuffle 1 banished **Reiki** monster into the deck and regain LP equal to its ATK, and I choose the banished **Overloader**!"

"You've never used that card before," Izumi said, Ryu's LP returning to 2900 as **Overloader** shuffled into his deck.

"You're strong, Izumi," he said. "I want to use everything I have to surpass you."

"Surpass me, huh?" she said. "I never thought I'd hear someone say that."

Ryu tilted his head. "Why not?"

"Where I'm from, it's a pretty small community," Izumi said. "We are surrounded by nature there, but I was also the only Spirited. Until the exams, I had never met another."

"The city must be a big change for you," Ryu said.

Izumi nodded. "It's nice here, though. A mixture of the two. I wish more people took care of nature like S.A. seems to do."

"If only," Ryu agreed. "I summon **Reiki Beast**! (Lvl: 3/**ATK: 1400**/DEF: 800)."

As the great green and white wolf appeared on his field, Ryu went over his plan once again in his head. Looking down at his hand, he knew he had a path open to him, but it would rely on Izumi and her reliance on her knowledge of his deck. Trusting himself that this was the right move, he grabbed one of the cards from his hand and pressed on.

"I activate the effect of **Reiki Trancer** in my hand!" he said. "Once per turn, I can pay 500 LP to Special Summon it from my hand!"

"I activate the effect of **Xanthophloea**, negating that effect and destroying your **Trancer**!" Izumi rebutted, causing the effect to fizzle out and for Ryu to send the card to the GY, even though his LP dropped to 2400. "You didn't think I'd let you summon out your best Tuner that easily, did you?"

Ryu grinned. "No, I didn't," he said. "I activate the effect of **Reiki Modulator** in my hand! If a Reiki monster I control is destroyed by battle or by card effect, I can Special Summon this card form my hand! Come, the Tuner monster, **Reiki Modulator**! (Lvl: 2/ATK: 800/DEF: 600)."

Izumi's scowled as the new monster appeared. Wearing a black overcloak and top hat, the well-dressed humanoid figure appeared on the field. With a body of unstable red energy with green flashes coming from him, he stood in stark contrast colour-wise to the **Warrior** beside him, even as he seemed to almost tip his hat towards **Overlord** out of reverence.

"You knew I would do that," Izumi said.

"I was hoping for it," Ryu answered. "If my current LP is lower than my opponent's, **Modulator** can be treated as Level 4 for the Synchro Summon of a **Reiki** Monster! I tune my now Level 4 **Modulator** with my Level 3 **Beast**! Energy within, unleash hell upon the battlefield! Become the fire that lights the path! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 7! **Reiki Berserker**! (ATK: 2400/**DEF: 2400**)."

**Modulator's** body shifted to be mostly green with red flashes before disappearing in an explosion of green light, engulfing **Beast** as a pillar of light descended from the sky. Turning red, a huge, hulking figure emerged from the pillar and howled at the top of its lungs. An ogre twice the size of Ryu, it's deep red skin rippled with muscles, black rags shifting as it stamped on the field, the dampeners shuddering to hold the power at bay. Black eyes squinted as red energy flashed from them, its vision focussed squarely on the **Xanthophloea** before it.

"**Beast's** effect activates, letting me regain 1000 LP!" Ryu said. "Additionally, I will chain **Reiki Berserker's** effect which, once per turn upon Synchro Summon, lets me destroy cards you control, up to the number of monsters used for the summon. Since I used 2, I will destroy **Verdant Armour** and **Xanthophloea**!"

**Berserker** roared and formed two balls of red energy in its hands. Sending them flying at its two targets, the field exploded once more as smoke filled the arena. Watching his LP counter tick back up to 2900, replacing the LP lost through **Trancer** and **Modulator's** effects, Ryu waited for the smoke to clear, only for his jaw to drop as **Xanthophloea** was still on the field.  
"While the equip was destroyed, **Xanthophloea** cannot be destroyed by card effects," Izumi said, even as the monster lost the attack boost from the equip and fell back to its original 2800 ATK. "You should've targeted a face-down, Ryu."

Ryu gritted his teeth. "But now, I only take the normal amount of damage from it's effect," he said. "**Overlord's** effect activates! By banishing **Beast**, it gains 1400 ATK until the End Phase, meaning it now has 4750 ATK!"

"You mean to end me this turn, and yet you would put **Berserker** in DEF?" Izumi asked.

"Call it an insurance policy," Ryu replied. "Battle! **Overlord**, attack **Xanthophloea** one more time! Spiralling Strike!"

The woman charged up again, and this time as the red energy cascaded across the tree's body, Ryu saw it disappear in a burst of yellow data before the smoke before to set in from the explosion. He felt his LP drop once more to 2400, but he was more than willing to take the damage because he watched as Izumi's LP dropped from 2350 to 1325, the 1950 damage she would have taken halved to 975 thanks to Ryu using **Expansion** at the start of the turn. However, with **Warrior** still standing with 4200 ATK, it was more than enough to finally attack for game.

"**Overlord** gains that 975 damage as ATK, meaning she now has 5725 ATK," Ryu said.

"I activate the trap card **Nettleborne Seedling**!" Izumi said, revealing the card. "If a **Nettlebearer** monster is destroyed, I can summon 1 **Nettlebearer Bud Token** (Lvl: 1/ATK :?/**DEF: ?**) with stats equal to half of the destroyed monster, and it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn!"

"You're joking," Ryu muttered as the giant, pale grey bud appeared on the field with 1400 ATK and 1300 DEF. "Even with **Berserker**…"

"I will not fall that easily, Ryu," Izumi said, clenching a fist.

"I'll still find a way through," he answered. "I set one card face-down, and now **Overlord** loses the ATK from **Beast**, meaning it now has 4325 ATK. Turn over!"

* * *

**_Izumi – 1325 LP/Hand – 1/Field – Bud Token, one face-down_**

_Ryu – 2400 LP/Hand – 0/Field – Berserker, Warrior, Overlord, one face-down_

* * *

"My turn!" Izumi said instantly, drawing a card. "This is the final turn, Ryu."

"Let's see what you've got, Izumi," Ryu said, shifting his stance slightly."

"I activate my face-down, **Nettleborne Rejuvenation**!" she said. "I can Special Summon 1 **Nettlebearer** from my GY and gain half of its ATK as LP! Be reborn, **Xanthophloea**! (Lvl: 8/**ATK: 2800**/DEF: 2600)."

The ground rumbled beneath their feet and soon the tree returned, roots growing into a trunk as it manifested from the floor of the arena itself. Giving a roar as its two legs planted themselves into the ground, a rush of wind pushed past Ryu as he struggled to maintain his footing. Looking at his opponent as her LP rose to 2725, he felt an intensity from her gaze the likes of which he hadn't felt from her before.

"**Xanthophloea's** effect activates!" she said. "If Special Summoned, he halves the ATK of all monsters you currently control!"

"That's not good," Ryu whispered to himself, as **Warrior** fell from 4200 to 2100, **Berserker** from 2400 to 1200 although it was in DEF, and **Overlord** from 4325 to 2163, since 5 halved rounded to 3 according to the rules of the game. "They all have less attack that **Xanthophloea** now."

"I activate the spell **Nettleborne Fusion**, fusing the **Bud Token** with **Xanthophloea**!" Izumi said, much to Ryu's surprise. "Seed of the earth, become one with the great tree and give birth to new life! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 10! My greatest monster, **Nettlebearer Gleditsia Triacanthos!** (**ATK: 3600**/DEF: 3200)."

Grabbing the bud with one hand, the tree roared as the two become enveloped purple energy, the pillar extending up into the sky as **Xanthophloea** roared. Slowly, its form began to change and grow, and once the pillar disappeared, a new Ent-like creature was left before them. Taller than **Xanthophloea**, its trunk was darker, its leaves a bright gold, and its thorns larger and with smaller thorns upon those ones. It roared, and Ryu felt his feet shift slightly under the force of the roar.

"This is the end for you!" Izumi declared. "I activate **Nettleborne Frenzy**, targeting **Triacanthos**! This turn, while other monsters I control cannot attack and you take half damage for the rest of the turn, it can attack a number of times, up to the number of monsters you currently control +1!"

"Four attacks, then," Ryu said, the tree howling as its thorns began to drip red. "That's why you summoned it. You needed the extra ATK to win this turn."

"**Triacanthos'** monster effect activates! Once during either player's turn, I can destroy a monster you control! I destroy **Berserker**, and as long as **Triacanthos** remains on the field, you cannot use that monster zone!" Izumi said.

Ryu shielded himself as **Berserker** resisted for a moment before exploding, a small yellow-leaved tree now it his place. "**Berserker's** monster effect activates!" he said. "If its destroyed by an opponent's card, I can target 1 banished **Reiki** monster and Special Summon it! Re-appear, **Reiki Overloader**! (Lvl:6/ATK: 2200/**DEF: 2100**)."

"It also had that effect, huh?" Izumi said, before cursing under her breath. "Battle! **Triacanthos**, attack **Overloader**! Thorn Thrashing!"

Ryu braced for impact and vine shot out from the monster's body, whipping about with a deadly intensity as they smashed into Overloader, destroying him in a single blow.

"Attack **Overlord**! Thorn Thrashing!"

The monster's gaze shifted slightly, moving to the next zone over as its vines whipped into the air. Not going down without a fight, the woman shrieked as red energy poured forth, only to slam ineffectually into the vines as they wrapped around her, thorns digging deep into her body as she wailed in pain before bursting into an explosion of golden data. Getting knocked back by the explosion, Ryu felt like he had been punched in the gut despite the damage being halved thanks to **Frenzy**, and could only watch as his LP trickled down from 2400 to 1681, the 1437 damage halved to 719.

"Now it's **Warrior's** turn!" Izumi cried. "Thorn Thrashing!"

Taking up a stance similar to Ryu's own, the monk wreathed himself in green energy, but it did little to protect himself from the onslaught of Izumi's ace monster. One vine smacked into him, blood erupting from the points where the thorns pierced his skin, before a second came down from above, **Warrior** reacting too late as it smashed him into the ground, disappearing just like the others as Ryu barely kept his feet, his LP falling from 1681 to 931.

"**Warrior's** effect activates, reviving 1 banished **Reiki** Monster if you destroy him. Come, **Reiki Regulator**! (Lvl: 4/ATK: 1800/**DEF: 1500**)," Ryu said with a gasp for air, the blonde woman appeared in DEF, kneeling with arms crossed. "**Regulator's** effect! If Normal or Special Summoned, I can add 1 **Reiki** monster from deck to hand by paying LP equal to its Level x 200, so I will add a second copy of **Trancer**!"

"Since it's a cost, **Frenzy** doesn't halve the damage," Izumi said.

"I know," Ryu replied, feeling a brunt of pain as his LP dropped to 731. "Finish your attacks, Izumi."

She balled a fist. "**Gleditsia Triacanthos**, attack one last time! Thorn Thrashing!"

Bracing himself he best he could against the finale of the onslaught, **Regulator** could do little more than wince as the thorned vines came through, knocking her clean off her feet and sending her flying out of the arena, disappearing just like all the others had done. With the attack over, the vine retracted back into the tree's body, and Ryu was finally able to catch his breath, standing a little taller as he realised the attacks were done.

"I'm still standing," Ryu said.

"It doesn't matter," Izumi said. "You're a combo-oriented deck, and I can destroy one monster you control on each of our turns with a monster that's completely unaffected by your card effects. **Trancer** alone can't stand up to **Triacanthos**."

"End your turn then," Ryu said. "You wanted to see what I can do? Let me show you."

Izumi huffed. "Alright then," she said. "End this, if you can."

* * *

_Izumi – 2725 LP/Hand – 0/Field – Gleditsia Triacanthos_

**_Ryu – 731 LP/Hand – 1/Field – one face-down, one Monster Zone unusable_**

* * *

Ryu took a moment to analyse the situation. Her boss monster being unaffected by anything he could do to it was a problem, but it wasn't insurmountable. he had the cards necessary to make a comeback, but only if Izumi was as impatient as she had been previously. Interestingly, though, he noted that she hadn't mentioned **Triacanthos'** mutual damage effect, which he surmised meant that he currently had more LP than it could inflict damage to him.

_\- If **Fabaceae** was 300, and **Xanthophloea** was 500, what do you think **Triacanthos** does? -_

"You're right," Ryu said. "It has to be."

_\- Give her hell -_

"My turn!" Ryu said, drawing a card, and upon seeing it, the path to victory opened up to him. "I activate my face-down card, **Reiki Resurrection**! This allows me to revive **Berserker** from the GY! Come back to my side, **Berserker**! (Lvl: 7/ATK: 2400/**DEF: 2400**)."

"I knew you'd resurrect something the moment you searched **Trancer**," Izumi said. "**Triacanthos'** monster effect activates, allowing my to destroy your monster and prevent you from using that zone for as long as **Triacanthos** is on the field!"

A smile grew over Ryu's face as vines shot forward, slapping into Berserker and causing the giant red ogre to howl in pain, dust clouds forming as the two collided. However, as the dust began to settle, Ryu saw Izumi's face drop as the ogre was shown to still be standing, battered but alive.

"How… no," Izumi whispered. "**Resurrection**…"

"It prevents the monster it summoned from being destroyed by battle or by card effects this turn," Ryu finished. "It's why I didn't use it last turn."

"I forgot," Izumi said. "I can't believe I forgot."

"You're trying to remember 19 decks in a 2-week period," Ryu said. "There would be a number of things that don't stick. I'm impressed you tried it at all."

"Dammit," Izumi said, clenching a fist. "No matter. I won't give up. **Triacanthos** is still unaffected by your cards AND has 3600 ATK!"

"That won't be enough!" Ryu said. "I Normal Summon my second copy of **Reiki Trancer** from my hand! Come, my Tuner Monster! (Lvl: 1/**ATK: 300**/DEF: 300)."

Izumi's eyes grew wide. "You don't mean to summon him again, do you?"

Ryu nodded. "I tune my Level 1 **Trancer** with my Level 7 **Berserker**!" he said. "Energy within, give birth to a champion of passion! Become the fire the light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Descend, Level 8! **Reiki Warrior**! (**ATK: 2500**/DEF: 2000)."

Ryu watched on in awe as the pillar of white light appeared, and from its apex soon descended this second copy of **Warrior**, as beautiful and majestic as the first. A muscular monk half-covered in white robes, green energy swirled around him as his bare feet lightly touched down on the arena floor, signalling the final stanza of their battle had begun.

"**Warrior** gains ATK equal to the difference between our current LP, and since you have 2725 and I have 731, he gains 1994 ATK to become 4494!" Ryu said, energy surging around the monk.

"That's still not enough to beat me this turn," Izumi said. "**Triacanthos** can revive itself the Standby Phase after its destroyed, so next turn I will use it to destroy **Warrior** and defeat you!"

Ryu held up the final card in his hand. "I activate the equip spell card, **Psychic Sword**!" he said, and watched as Izumi's shoulders slumped when the blade appeared in **Warrior's** hand. "While my LP are lower than yours, the equipped monster gains ATK equal to the difference!"

"Another 1994 ATK," Izumi said. "Which means that he now has 6488 ATK."

"That's right," Ryu said, and prepared himself for a leap of faith. "Battle! **Reiki Warrior**, use that mighty sword to wipe away **Triacanthos** and the rest of Izumi's LP! Sacred Spirit Slice!"

"**Triacanthos** deals you 700 points of damage if I take damage from a battle involving him!" Izumi said. "**Gleditsia Triacanthos**, make it hurt!"

His hunch had been right. Smiling, Ryu watched as **Warrior **arced the blade upwards to the sky, and a hail of thorns came hurtling in his direction. Blocking most with the blade of green energy, some got through as **Warrior** came down hard, the energy extending t slice through **Triacanthos** with one swoop, to two howling out before exploding, launching both duelists from their feet as smoke filled the arena. Coughing as he picked himself up, Ryu looked down at his duel disk. 31 LP left.

"Congratulations, Ryu," he heard Izumi's voice come over the headset. "You win."

As the smoke cleared and the dampeners and headsets turned off, Ryu groggily got to his feet and headed for the other end of the arena, where he soon found Izumi sitting down on the edge of the arena, arms propping her up by having her hands rest on the ground behind her. She didn't look at him for a moment, before huffing slightly and looking him in the eye.

"I know we are ranked next to each other, but I didn't expect it to be that close," she said. "Or for you to win. Getting a card from your Spirit in the middle of a duel like that… not many Spirited are so lucky."

"You almost had me twice," Ryu said, holding out a hand. "Next time, I doubt I will be so lucky."

"Next time, I'll make sure I know all your cards," Izumi said, taking his hand and getting to her feet. "You won't surprise me like that again."

"Perhaps I will," Ryu said. "You never know what the future may hold."

"No," Izumi said with a light smile. "I suppose we don't."

* * *

**_Coming Soon - Ground Rules_**


	9. Ground Rules

**Chapter Nine: Ground Rules**

* * *

After returning their headset and mic to their slots on the ends of the arena, Izumi and Ryu headed back to the teaching building where their teacher would be waiting. Chatting along the way, Ryu came to learn more about Izumi than he expected, as it turned out she was the first one from her village to leave it for quite some time. Surrounded by nature just as the academy was, Izumi felt somewhat comfortable here, even if meeting all these new people at once would be a challenge. After promising the help her get comfortable with the other students as best he could, the two found themselves walking inside the teaching building, only to find the reception area of the floor, covered mostly in couches and coffee tables, was nearly full with the other students, all but one of the screens visible now blank. Holding a tablet in one hand, the homeroom teacher Gen Amamiya glanced up at the two briefly as they entered.

"The second-last pair arrives," he said. "You two were quite close."

"I got lucky," Ryu said.

"No, Izumi got complacent," Gen retorted, glancing at her. "I trust you will not do the same next time?"

The short girl shook her head. "No, sir," she said.

"Good, join the others," Gen said. "We are just waiting on the last two to finish, and then we can proceed with the next part of the day."

Glancing around the room, Ryu noticed Kenji sitting on one of the seats furthest from him, chatting away with a woman slightly smaller than him with sun-bleached hair. Motioning for Izumi to follow, he saw the woman nod in his direction as they approached, and upon noticing them, a smile grew on Kenji's face as he waved them over.

"How'd you go?" Kenji asked immediately, Izumi and Ryu sitting opposite the two. "You'd be 11th, I assume?"

"Maybe not for long," Izumi said, introducing herself.

"Call me Takara," said the girl next to Kenji. "What do you mean not for long?"

"You won, didn't you?" Kenji asked Ryu.

Ryu huffed. "Just," he said, sharing a slight chuckle with Izumi. "31 LP."

"31?" Takara asked. "How on earth do you finish a duel on 31 LP?"

"There was a lot of halving going on," Izumi said. "What about you two? You were 19th and 20th, right?"

Kenji nodded. "We, uh, we drew," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "They really knew what they were doing with these ratings."

"I still think I could've had you," Takara said.

"No way," Kenji muttered. "**Carinthia** had you on the ropes until your last turn."

"Did not!" Takara protested.

"Whatever," Kenji said, earning a huff from Takara as she folded her arms. "Ryu, what's important is she plays Pirates!"

"Corsairs, big difference," Takara corrected.

"Corsairs, sure," Kenji said. "How cool is that? Izumi, what do you play?"

"**Nettlebearers**," Izumi replied. "Plant humanoids."

"A Fusion deck," Ryu added. "I was fighting a forest."

"Good thing you weren't dueling me then. I would've burned it all down," Kenji said with a grin.

"Don't burn forests," Izumi said. "We should be doing more to take care of them, you know."

"Oh, right, sorry. That's true," Kenji said, more subdued that before.

"Well done, dummy," Takara said.

"What? What did I do?" Kenji protested.

"It's fine, honestly," Izumi said, waving her hands in protest. "It's just a big deal for me is all."

"It's a good thing to care about," Ryu said.

Takara nodded. "Sounds like you care just as much about the forests as I do about the sea," she said, earning a nod from Izumi. "Where are you from?"

"Itsukuyama," Izumi replied. "It's on Fukue Island."

"That's pretty far out from here," Takara said. "I'm from Muroto myself, so we're both not from around here, unlike these two."

"Do you want to go again?" Kenji said.

"Try me," Takara replied, grinning. "I'll be sure to beat you this time."

"Enough, you two," Ryu said. "Let's not wreck the place on our first day here, hey?"

Seemingly understanding the direction their conversation was going, Gen called them all over as the final two students walked in. Earning a huff from Takara as she glared at Kenji, the four joined up with the rest of the group as Gen lead the company of 20 students up the stairwell, heading from the top floor as he spoke to them.

"This building is where most of your studies will take place," Gen began. "Classes start at 9.30am every weekday and Saturday with homeroom for half an hour, and will finish at around 4 o'clock, depending on what your teachers decide. All homerooms are on this second floor above the reception area, and we will be in 1-A for the duration of this year."

"So, the other students are in this building now?" asked a student.

"No, I believe they are out on practical exercises," Gen said. "As you may remember from the exams, there are 15 teachers here at Spirited Academy, all with their own areas of expertise that pertain to certain areas of dueling and other relevant areas. 3 of those 15 are homeroom teachers, myself included, but the others you will all meet in time."

"Then we have 12 different classes to keep track of on top of our dueling? That seems like a lot," Rei said from the head of the pack.

"No, you won't," Gen said. "There are 3 mandatory classes, the Class of Control, of Soul, and of Dueling Theory. All of you have been automatically enrolled into these 3 courses."

"And what about the others?" asked Noboru from the back.  
"That's why we've come to the top of this building," Gen said as they arrived on the final floor, motioning to his right. "Please, if you could all enter."

Heading into the room in the direction Gen pointed, the students found themselves in a classroom, seats arranged in 5 rows of 4 seats each. Taking up the second to last row, Ryu sat in one of the middle seats, Izumi to his right, Kenji to his left and Takara on his friend's left beyond him. As they all settled in, Ryu noted the stack of paper on each of the desks, labelled on the front simply as **Available Year One Courses**. It wasn't overly thick, but he imagined that Gen would soon be about to explain it to them all, as the homeroom teacher stopped behind the desk at the front of the room.

"We've come to this room to help you decide which courses you will be taking this year," he began. "Here at S.A, on top of dueling, we have a rolling system of classes. 6 courses, 5 units per day, meaning 5 classes for each unit per week. Of those 6, you have the mandatory 3, Control, Soul, and Dueling Theory. However, you will each be able to choose from the booklets in front of you as to what are the other 3 units you choose. If you're confused, here is an example."

The projector flickered into life, and on the blackboard behind Gen came an image of a timetable. Reading it, Ryu could see that the class system allowed for a lot of free time either side of classes. He assumed this time was meant for their usual exercise routines as well as dueling, and he hoped that was the case. Looking around at Kenji, he could tell his friend had had a similar idea when it came to the duels. For an Academy that wanted its students to duel as much as possible, they had certainly left plenty of time to do so.

* * *

**Monday - 9:30 **(Homeroom)** / 10:00 **(Control)** / 11:00** (Soul) **/ 12:00 **(Lunch) **/ 1:00 **(Duel Theory)** / 2:00** (Option 1) **/ 3:00 **(Option 2)** / 4:00 **(Finish)

**Tuesday ****\- 9:30 **(Homeroom)** / 10:00 **(Option 3)** / 11:00 **(Control) **/ 12:00 **(Lunch)** / 1:00 **(Soul) **/ 2:00** (Duel Theory) **/ 3:00 **(Option 1) **/ 4:00 **(Finish)

**Wednesday ****\- 9:30 **(Homeroom)** / 10:00** (Option 2)** / 11:00 **(Option 3)** / 12:00 **(Lunch)** / 1:00 **(Control) **/ 2:00 **(Soul)** / 3:00 **(Duel Theory) **/ 4:00 **(Finish)

**Thursday ****\- 9:30 **(Homeroom)** / 10:00 **(Option 1)** / 11:00** (Option 2) **/ 12:00** (Lunch)** / 1:00 **(Option 3)** / 2:00 **(Control)** / 3:00 **(Soul) **/ 4:00 **(Finish)

**Friday ****\- 9:30 **(Homeroom)** / 10:00 **(Duel Theory)** / 11:00** (Option 1)** / 12:00 **(Lunch) **/ 1:00** (Option 2) **/ 2:00 **(Option 3)** / 3:00 **(Control)** / 4:00 **(Finish)

**Saturday ****\- 9:30 **(Homeroom)** / 10:00 **(Soul)** / 11:00** (Duel Theory) **/ 12:00** (Lunch) **/ 1:00 **(Option 1)** / 2:00 **(Option 2)** / 3:00 **(Option 3) **/ 4:00 **(Finish)

* * *

"As you can see, we leave plenty of time after classes and Sundays for you to duel to your hearts content," Gen said. "Before we get into that, though, feel free to flick through those booklets. There's plenty of information on the 9 additional courses we offer here at S.A, which should help you choose what courses you want to pick."

"How long do we have to decide?" asked Akito.

"Courses for you will begin next week," Gen said. "All of us teachers have offices in the main reception building at the front of the Academy, including myself. You are expected to bring your choices to us before Friday this week."

"I thought you said lunch was served at the dorms?" another student asked.

"It is," Gen said. "Classes will usually run for about 50 minutes, allowing you plenty of time to get to the next class. Unless you specify otherwise to our staff, lunch is provided at the dorms with the expectation you will be able to get there from your previous class not too long after 12pm. It also gives you a break from this building, which I've always found to be useful."

"What happens if no one ends up in a class?" asked another.

"Then it isn't run," Gen said. "However, we've rarely ever had one class without a student. I'd be very surprised if that were the case for you as well."

"How come Music is separate from Creative Arts?" Ryu asked.

"We found it to be in high demand every year, so we split it from the Creative Arts course to allow for students to experience both," Gen answered.

With his question answered, Ryu's attention drifted as Amamiya continued to answer questions as they came up. In addition to providing information on the 3 mandatory units, the booklet also rattled off the other 9 courses available to them: Media, Cardio, Strength, Music, Dueling History, Spirit Theory, Creative Arts, Criminal History and General Studies. He was surprised a bit by the lack of scientific courses available, but he quickly surmised that the nature of being Spirited didn't entirely lend itself to scientific study. With the entire premise being focussed around emotional, spiritual, and physical attributes, it made sense that the units available were tailored to growing these aspects of the students. The focus on history also struck Ryu as interesting, but he supposed it made sense.

"What do you think you'll take?" Kenji asked him.

"Spirit Theory's a given, but other than that? No idea," Ryu admitted. "We have all week though. No rush."

"Has everyone had a flick through?" Gen asked, earning nods from amongst the group. "Good. We will discuss units further once you have chosen them and brought your choices to me. Now, let's get onto what I'm sure a lot of you are interested in. The ranking system."

A hush fell over the students, the rustle of pages coming to a standstill as silence filled the classroom. Even Ryu found himself bubbling with anticipation as Gen seemed to let the moment simmer for a while, the students eager to find out how they could climb the leaderboard and take the title of number one from Rei, who he noted seemed pretty non-plussed about the whole situation.

"Each of you has a ranking from 1 to 20," Gen said. "However, by dueling, you can improve your ranking by dueling people above you in rank and winning. A note to anyone who managed this feat today: the duels today do not count. They were simply to introduce you to new people."

"Thank god for that," Izumi whispered at Ryu.

"This is how it goes," Gen continued. "A draw will change nothing. If you beat someone 1 rank higher than you, you will gain a rank. If you beat someone 2 to 5 ranks higher than you, you will gain 2 ranks. Finally, if you beat someone more than 5 ranks higher than you, you will gain 3 ranks. This is exceptionally rare, but for those looking to get a jump on the others, it could provide a good opportunity for you."

"And if you lose?" Akito asked.

"It's flipped," Gen answered. "If you lose to the person below you, your ranking switch, 2 to 5 and you fall 2 ranks, beyond 5 you fall 3 ranks."

Ryu ran the numbers in his head as a couple of the students continued to ask questions. It was a simplistic, yet effective, system. Being able to consistency switch ranks with those of similar ones allowed for steady climbing, but there was also no risk in going for duelists higher than you. It encouraged the lower ranked duelists to get better, while also forcing the higher-level ones, like Rei, to keep dueling against them. Thinking about it further, Ryu also came to realise it meant that those in the number one ranking could only lose it to someone who challenged them specifically and won. The system encouraged plenty of dueling, while also giving the higher ranked ones an easy shot as the top if they believed they could take it.

"Now, there's a couple of other things you should be aware of," Gen pressed on. "One. Each student is expected to take part in at least one duel by week beyond ones done in class like today. Two. When you arrive back in your rooms, you will find each of you has a tablet on your coffee table. This will not only allow you to book out the small arenas at any time for dueling besides class time, but they will also allow you to watch any 1st year duel going on if you are unable to, or do not wish to, head down to the arena yourself."

"What else can they do?" Kenji asked.

"They can also be used to chat directly with the other students and the teachers, if they are available," Gen said. "Additionally, you will be expected to carry them to classes, as they will be what you use to write notes, do any assessments, and so on."

"Does it have a simulator on it?" one student asked.

Gen nodded. "You can link them to your duel disk and input your deck data," he said. "This can allow you, and others, to formulate strategies with any new cards your Spirits may end up giving you over your time here at S.A. However, there is one more thing you must know. In two months' time, there will be a tournament."

Realisation dawned on Ryu's face. "S.A's Dueling Tournament."

"That's right," Gen said. "Every year, once the new students have settled into their studies, we allow them to show off their skills on the world stage, with a tournament being broadcast live across the planet. However, only the top 16 will get into the tournament itself."

"And what happens to the other four?" Takara asked.

"You miss out," Gen said. "It means those ranked 17th to 20th have a lot of work to do if they wish to show themselves off to the world in the middle of June."

"Guess that's us," Ryu heard Kenji mutter to Takara.

"Now, were there any other questions?" Gen asked.

One hand went up eventually. "Mr. Amamiya?" the student asked.

"Your name was…?"

"Chikao Miyake, sir," the man said. "I was just wondering, how permanent are the course choices?"

"They last for, and are designed for, the year," the homeroom teacher replied. "If you wish to continue the ones you choose into the later years, there will be a natural progression. However, if you choose to change, there are systems in place to ensure you can get the most out of the new units."

"They know what they are doing," Izumi whispered.

"And now, if there are no more questions, you are all dismissed," Gen said. "Feel free to wander the campus, get used to your surroundings, although please do try to keep out of the way of the other students and teachers. Contact me with your tablets if you have any questions, but other than that, remember any duels from now on will affect your rankings, and I will see you when you come to confirm your classes!"

With a rustle of papers and a screech of chairs against the wooden floors, the students filed out of the room. While some elected to continue to wander the campus, Takara, Kenji, Izumi and Ryu all agreed to head back to the dorms as it was coming up to lunch time. On the walk over, Ryu continued to flick through the booklet, working with Izumi to figure out which classes they would take while Takara and Kenji continued to argue away about their previous duel.

Spirit Theory was a given for Ryu. With Ki being as he was, the course was designed to explore the nature of spirits from the information that humanity had gathered over the four generations since they first arrived. Dueling History sounded appealing as well, the name rather self-explanatory as Izumi also showed interest in the course. Unfortunately for Ryu, none of the others really caught his eye, as he had never been one for the creative arts, nor was he particularly interested in returning to ordinary studies like provided in the General Studies unit.

"Media is probably a good one for me," she said as they entered the forest between campus and the dorms.

"Why's that?" Ryu asked, glancing at the unit. It seemed to cover everything media-related, from how to face them to how to use them to your advantage.

"The best duelists of the world are household names," she said. "All that fame could be used for something good. In the short time I've been in Tokyo and around, too many people seem disinterested in caring about the environment, and I know that's true around the globe. Maybe it could help me to one day use my fame to bring attention to it."

"You have to become a world-renowned duelist first," Ryu reminded her. "That's two big goals."

"It's only two things, though," Izumi replied. "I can do it."

Ryu went to speak, only for Kenji to drown him out. "You're really getting on my nerves, you know that?" he snapped.

Takara huffed. "Whatever you say, city boy," she said.

"Oh, that's it," Kenji said. "Duel me. Let's go, blondie."

"Kenji, you're blonde too," Ryu said.

"Shut up, Ryu," he said, Ryu putting up his hands as he backed off. "They said the arenas were free, right? Let's go find one."

"Don't we have to book them first?" Izumi said.

"To hell with booking them," Takara said, eyeing off Kenji. "I'll take you on again, city boy. And this time I'll make sure I beat you."

"As if!" Kenji yelled. "No way I'll lose to you!"

The four changed direction on a dime, the two blondes leading the way as they made their way towards the nearest arena. Glancing in Izumi's direction, the small yet muscular girl didn't seem to know what to make of the sudden outburst from the two leading them. Ryu just chuckled.

"You and Kenji are friends, right?" she asked him, earning a nod from Ryu. "Is he always like this?"

"He's always energetic, but he's hardly ever this angry," Ryu replied.

"I am not angry!" Kenji shouted over his shoulder, earning a chuckle from Ryu.

"What got him like this, then?" Izumi asked.

"Takara did, I assume," Ryu said. "I've only ever seen him get like this with one other person this quickly before though, about 3 years ago, and well…"

"What happened?"

Ryu leaned in close. "They ended up dating for 2 years," he whispered to her, causing Izumi's cheeks to blush slightly before she stifled a laugh. "Come on, we had better find some seats. This will be good."

* * *

_**Coming Soon - Fire and Water**_


	10. Fire and Water

**Chapter Ten: Fire and Water**

* * *

The arena was uncomfortably quiet as Ryu and Izumi took their seats in the middle of the seats on the side of the arena. Kenji was to their left, Takara to their right, and the two duelists were fitting their headsets on as Izumi got a blip on her phone. Looking down in her direction, Ryu raised an eyebrow as she quickly hid it away.

"Family," she said dismissively. "Wanted to know how my first day is going."

"And?"

"Well, let's just see how this goes first."

Down in the arena, the two duelists were ready to begin. It had been settled on the way over that Takara would go first, but Ryu could only guess as to why Kenji had agreed to that. His deck was far more suited to go first, having to react to his opponent doing things in order for his monster's effects to go off. He had ways around it, sure, but going first was still his most optimal strategy.

"Ibara reckons their Spirits are present," Izumi said.

"I'm surprised Ki isn't here to watch as well, to be honest," Ryu said. "Yogan is Kenji's Spirit. Guy loves a fight even more than Kenji does. It doesn't surprise me at all that he's here."

"You all set?" Kenji asked, he voice coming clearly across the arena's loudspeaker.

"Let's do this," was Takara's reply.

**_DUEL!_**

"I'll start by activating my Field Spell!" Takara said. "Come, **The Ranger**!"

The arena rumbled, and soon from the ground erupted a wooden ship of a design Ryu didn't recognise. It was fortunate the dampeners ensured that the cards played did not affect the arena physically, because otherwise half of the arena would have been destroyed during the first play of the duel. Coming to a half behind Takara, the ship's mast dwarfed the arena, and the ship itself was buried into the side of the arena, with only the main deck on the starboard side fitting into the arena itself.

"Well, if we are doing something we shouldn't, the whole campus just got alerted to it," Ryu muttered.

"If activated, it lets me add 1 **Corsair** monster from deck to hand, and I choose **Mary Read, the Corsair Commander**!" Takara said, adding the card. "Next, I'll summon **Corsair Swordsman** from my hand! (Lvl: 4/**ATK: 1200**/DEF: 1200)."

From the ship behind her came the stamping of feet, and soon a man swathed in thin, worn white clothes leapt from the ship, swords in each hand. Landing on the ground with swords outstretched, he stood up to reveal green hair, as well as the fact that he wore no shoes.

"See, Ryu? Pirates!" Kenji shouted in his direction.

Ryu waved in recognition. "He does know corsair is just another word for pirate, right?" Izumi asked.

"**Corsair Deckhand** activates in my hand! If I control a **Corsair** monster, I can summon it once per turn from either my hand or GY!" Takara said. "Come, the Tuner monster, **Corsair Deckhand!** (Lvl: 2/**ATK: 600**/DEF: 600)."

Another set of bootsteps from the ship behind Takara, and a new man leapt from it. Wearing no shirt and black pants held up by a makeshift rope belt, his sun-bleached hair dripped down below his shoulders as he joined **Swordsman** on the field, his own blade in hand.

"**Swordsman's** effect raises his ATK once per turn if a **Corsair** monster is summoned while he is on the field!" Takara said, the monster's ATK rising to 1800. "Additionally, **Corsair** monsters share a common ability! If another **Corsair** monster is on the field, they gain 300 ATK for each one!"

"That's going to get out of hand really quick," Ryu noted as **Swordsman** rose to 2100 and **Deckhand** to 900.

"That new one is a Tuner too," Izumi replied. "She may be 19th, but she's strong."

"**Deckhand** lets me use one monster in hand as material if I'm summoning a **Corsair** Synchro Monster!" Takara said. "I tune my Level 2 **Deckhand** with the Level 6 **Mary Read, the Corsair Commander**! Calmed seas, tremble in fear as the scourges of the coasts approach! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 8! **Calico Jack, the Corsair King**! (**ATK: 2400**/DEF: 2400)."

Wind blew into the arena, and from the top deck near the barely visible steering wheel appeared a figure, draped in royal-looking calico clothing. Leaping down from the high area, he landed on the ground with a tremendous thud, the earth shaking in his presence as he stood and righted his captain's hat, sword in one hand and pistol in the other.

"**Mary Read's** monster effect activates!" Takara continued. "Once per duel, if she is used for the Synchro Summon of a **Corsair** monster, she can Special Summon herself! Come, **Mary Read, the Corsair Commander!** (Lvl: 6/**ATK: 1800**/DEF: 1800)."

From the deck leapt a woman this time, covered in red army clothing and wearing a matching red bandanna to hold back the swathe of brown hair that draped down her back. She stood next to **Calico Jack**, giving him a wink as she righted herself and brandished her two pistols, one in each hand.

"**Calico Jack's** monster effect activates!" Takara continued. "A once per turn quick effect, it allows me to Special Summon 1** Corsair** from my GY! Return to our side, the Tuner monster, **Deckhand**! (Lvl: 2/**ATK: 600**/DEF: 600)."

"4 monsters on the first turn," Izumi said as the monster returned. "This is nothing like my playstyle."

"But it's exactly what she needs to be doing," Ryu noted. "With 4 monsters on the field, they each get a boost of 900 ATK, with **Jack** at 3300, **Mary **and** Swordsman** at 2700, and **Deckhand** at 1500. It's an impressive board."

"Do you think Kenji can beat it?"

"Well, they drew last time," Ryu recalled. "If Yogan is with him, then they must have a plan."

"I set two cards face-down!" Takara said, the cards appearing briefly in front of her feet. "Turn over! Try your best, city boy!"

* * *

_Takara – 4000 LP/Hand – 0/Field – Calico Jack, Mary Read, Swordsman, Deckhand, 2 face-downs, The Ranger_

**_Kenji – 4000 LP/Hand – 5/Field – nil_**

* * *

"My turn!" Kenji said, drawing. "I activate the spell card **Dormant Awakening**! This lets me summon 1 Level 4 or lower **Dormant** monster from my hand or deck, and after doing so, I can activate its on-field effect! Appear, **Dormant Summoner**! (Lvl: 4/**ATK: 1600**/DEF: 1600)."

Molten magma bubbled through to the surface of the middle monster zone, and from it rose a humanoid figure, covered in robes that were alright from the heat of its black body, veins of orange lava running through it and filling its glowing eyes.

"Summoner's effect is triggered by **Awakening**, allowing my to summon 1 **Dormant** monster from my hand or GY!" he continued. "Come, **Carinthia, the Dormant Dragon**! (Lvl: 8/**ATK: 3000**/DEF: 2500)."

"He has to be going for it," Ryu said, as the massive molten landed on the field behind Kenji, roaring out into the open sky.

"Going for what?" Izumi asked.

"His strongest combo."

"**Carinthia's** monster effect activates, a once per turn quick effect that allows me to activate the effect of **Summoner** one more time!" Kenji said. "Appear from my deck, **Dormant Soldier**! (Lvl: 4/**ATK: 1700**/DEF: 1400)."

The soldier joined the dragon and the mage on the field, the three sharing a colour scheme befitting of the world's mightiest volcano. On Takara's side of the field, the pirates shifted somewhat, seemingly prepping themselves for the storm that was coming.

"**Dormant Scout** activates in my hand!" Kenji said, revealing the card. "If a **Dormant **monster on the field activates its effect, I can summon it, and then add 1 **Dormant** card from deck to hand! Come, **Dormant Scout**! (Lvl: 2/**ATK: 1100**/DEF: 500)."

"He's already got his dragon on board, so now he can go into more explosive plays," Ryu muttered to himself as the man in armour appeared. "There's no way he's thinking of an OTK against 4 monsters, right?"

"The card I will add is **Dormant Fusion**, which I will then activate, using **Summoner** and **Scout** as materials!" Kenji declared. "Blazing mountain, melt away the iron chains of suppression and free the beast held within! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 8! **Galorim, the Dormant Homunculus**! (ATK: 2800/DEF: 2600)."

The magma bubbling below Kenji's field burst upwards, engulfing the two fusion materials before settling back down momentarily. The ground then began to rumble, and from the lava rose a giant humanoid body made of rock and cooling magma. It towered over **Carinthia**, nearing the height of the arena itself as its two feet cam crashing down onto the platform.

"It's huge," Izumi whispered.

"It's his ticket to victory, too," Ryu realised. "Kenji's going all out."

"**Galorim's** effect activates! If he is Special Summoned, I can target up to 2 other **Dormant** monsters I control and activate their opponent-triggering effects!" Kenji said. "First, **Carinthia** activates, letting me destroy 1 monster you control and make him gain 800 ATK! Then comes **Soldier**, letting me burn you for every monster you control times 300!"

"I activate my trap card, **Corsair Con**!" Takara said. "I can destroy 1 **Corsair** monster I control to draw 2 cards!"

"Idiot," Ryu gasped. "**Galorim's** effect doesn't count towards the once per turn limitations on their effects."

Izumi's eyes went wide. "But that means…"

"**Carinthia, Soldier **and** Galorim** all have their effects trigger in that order in response to your activation!" Kenji said. "**Galorim** halves the ATK of all monsters you currently control until the end of the turn, and for the rest of this turn, you can only target it for effects or attacks. Additionally, **Soldier** and **Carinthia** will burn you and destroy another monster! Go, my beasts!"

All in attendance took a moment to watch as the 6-long chain link resolved itself. **Galorim** resolved first, halving all of Takara's monsters' attacks. It mattered little, however, as after Soldier rattled off some shots and lowered her LP by 1200 to 2800, a ball of flame erupted from **Carinthia's** mouth and destroyed **Swordsman**, granting the dragon an extra 800 ATK to become 3800. **Con** then resolved, **Deckhand** disappearing in a burst of data as Takara drew 2 cards, only for Soldier to shoot at her once more, knocking off another 600 LP to cause her to fall to 2200. **Mary Read** to soon followed, destroyed by another fireball as **Carinthia's **ATK rose again to 4600. Once the explosions stopped and the dust settled, the only monster left on Takara's field was **Calico Jack**, sitting at a measly 750 ATK.

"How does it have so few points?" Izumi asked.

"**Galorim** halved it from 3300 to 1650, and then it lost 3 of its comrades," Ryu said. "It lost the 900 ATK boost it got from them, leaving it a prime target for attack. Kenji had planned this from the beginning."

"This won't end like last time, Takara," Kenji said. "I'll show you just what this 'city boy' can do! Battle! **Carinthia, the Dormant Dragon**, attack **Calico Jack**! Bright Blaze!"

"I knew after our last battle that dragon might be a problem, so Kanoa and I came prepared! I activate my other face-down, **Corsair Camouflage**! It Special Summons every **Corsair** monster that was destroyed by a card effect this turn back to my field in the positions they were in! Appear once again, **Deckhand, Swordsman**, and **Mary Read**!"

Ryu felt himself leap from his seat as 3 puffs of smoke appeared on Takara's field, and the destroyed monsters returned. **Jack** was now powered back up to 1650, and the other 3, no longer under the effect of **Galorim**, found themselves at 1500, 2100, and 2700 ATK respectively.

"She knew it was coming," he whispered. "But…"

"That's still nowhere near enough to stop my attacks!" Kenji said. "**Carinthia**, change your target and attack **Deckhand**!"

Ryu saw Takara grit her teeth. "I can activate this trap from my hand if I control 3 or more **Corsair** monsters, the trap card **Corsair Charge**!" she said. "I double the current ATK of all **Corsair** monsters I control until the end of this turn!"

"**Carinthia**, don't let that stop you!" Kenji yelled. "Bright Blaze!"

While **Deckhand, Jack, Swordsman **and** Mary** grew to 3000, 3300, 4200 and 5400 ATK respectively, it still wasn't enough to save **Deckhand** from the attack. The fire burst forth from the dragon's mouth, engulfing the man in flame until it disappeared in an explosion of yellow data. Weathering the damage as best she could, Takara managed to retain her feet even as the 1600 damage knocked her LP down to a dangerously low 600. However, with no monster left on the field able to be attacked, Kenji's other monsters stood down.

"At the end of the Battle Phase, **Charge** destroys the monster I control with the highest ATK," Takara said, and **Mary Read** disappeared from the field, lowering the ATK of the others by 300.

"I set 3 cards face-down," Kenji said. "Turn over! At this point, **Galorim's** effect ends, meaning **Jack** and **Swordsman** have their attacks returned to normal."

"Plus the boost from their effects, meaning they have 2700 and 1500 respectively," Takara said.

"I know how it works!" Kenji barked. "Take your turn, Takara! It'll be your last!"

* * *

**_Takara – 600 LP/Hand – 1/Field – Calico Jack, Swordsman, The Ranger_**

_Kenji – 4000 LP/Hand – 0/Field – Carinthia at 4600 ATK, Galorim, Soldier, 3 face-downs_

* * *

"Takara's in a tight spot," Izumi said, analysing the field. "The moment she activates anything, **Soldier** will burn her for 600."

"It's an annoyingly powerful card," Ryu said. "What I want to know is how they drew their last game. **Corsairs** aren't a burn deck, and Kenji isn't capable of simultaneous damage…"

"She has to be careful," Izumi said. "Any false move, and Kenji jumps ahead of her on the rankings."

"But she didn't activate **Calico Jack's** effect last turn to revive a **Corsair**, even when she had the chance," Ryu said, holding his right elbow in his left hand as he rubbed his lower lip with his right hand. "She must have a plan. There's no reason not to get that free field advantage, right?"

Kenji's voice echoed through the speakers. "What's the matter, scared?" he asked her.

Takara laughed. "Hardly," she said. "I'm just thinking about the best way to beat you."

"You can't!" Kenji said. "The moment you do anything, **Soldier** will burn you for game! Give up!"

"You wish. My turn!" Takara said, drawing a card. "**Calico Jack's** monster effect activates, targeting **Mary Read** in the GY!"

"And that's game no matter how you look at it!" Kenji said. "I activate **Soldier**, then **Carinthia**, then **Galorim's** effects! You can't stop **Soldier** now!"

Takara just smiled. "I activate a card you didn't see in our last duel, the Quick-Play Spell Card, **Corsair Counterattack**!" she said. "Since you control more monsters than I do, 3 to 2, while I can only attack with 1 monster this turn, I can negate all of your monster's effects until the end of this turn!"

Izumi gasped. "What the hell…"

"So strong…" Ryu whispered, eyes wide.

Kenji roared. "You're so annoying!" he yelled. "Since it's effects are negated, **Carinthia** also returns to 3000 ATK."

"**Calico Jack** resolves. Be reborn, **Mary Read, the Corsair Commander**! (Lvl: 6/**ATK: 1800/**DEF: 1800)," Takara said.

As the red-cloak wearing woman reappeared on the field, Ryu felt a pang of sympathy echo through his heart. Looking down at Kenji, he could see the man was breathing heavily, his frustrations at boiling point. However, as he looked into the man's eyes, he could his friend was still getting ready for something, as if he knew something Ryu didn't. A bit surprised by this, he returned his attention to the duel as Takara pressed her assault.

"**Jack** also lowers **Carinthia's** ATK by 600 to 2400, and **Swordsman's** effect activates, giving it an additional 600 ATK!" she said. "Next, I will summon out the Tuner monster, **Corsair Lookout**! (Lvl: 1/**ATK: 300**/DEF: 300)."

A new monster appeared, this time a small man, barely half the height of the others, wielding not a sword but a telescope that peered into the distance. The stats of the **Corsairs** grew as he appeared thanks to their effects, but Ryu took little notice of it. Everyone knew what was coming next.

"I tune my Level 1 **Lookout** to my Level 6 **Mary Read**!" Takara said. "Calmed seas, tremble in fear as the scourges of the coasts approach! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 7! **Anne Bonny, the Corsair Queen**! (**ATK: 2100**/DEF: 2100)."

A pillar of light appeared, the two materials disappearing into it before a new woman leapt from **The Ranger** behind them all and through the light, landing on the field with a flourish. Wearing similar clothes to **Calico Jack**, only with an open blouse that barely covered the chest, the woman smirked as she rose to stand alongside him, brandishing a sword and pistol in the opposite hands that **Jack** held them in. With her now on the field, **Jack** had 3000 ATK, herself with 2700, and **Swordsman** thanks to its extra effect now sat on 2400 ATK.

"**Anne Bonny's** monster effect activates!" Takara said. "Once per turn, while I control less cards than you, which I currently do 6 to 4, I can draw cards equal to the number of **Corsair** monsters I currently control, meaning I draw 3 cards!"

"So many powerful cards…" Izumi said.

"But little way of utilising them to their fullest," Ryu began to realise. "The deck has no disruption beyond **Counterattack** as far as I can tell, and they all have relatively low stats with little protection. It's an interesting deck, though, that's for sure."

"I activate the Spell **Corsair Battle Formation**!" Takara said. "This turn, **Calico Jack** can attack a number of times, up to the number of **Corsair** monsters I control, but no one else can attack this turn!"

"She's dodging **Counterattack's** drawback," Izumi said. "Impressive synergy."

"That's not enough to defeat me, Takara!" Kenji said.

"But it can still take down your field! Battle! **Calico Jack**, attack all 3 of his monsters!" Takara ordered. "Boarding Bullet Hail!"

The man leapt forward, taking out **Soldier** with a single shot to the head as he ran straight for the homunculus. The monster roared, smashing one fist into the ground in **Jack's** direction, but the pirate dodged it effortlessly, running along the rocky arm before leaping into air, sword drawn as he came hurtling down, stabbing the creature in the eye. Screaming, it began to fall back, and there was nothing neither it nor **Carinthia** could do as it fell backwards on the dragon, the two exploding in a cacophony of smoke as the man leapt to safety, rolling end over end until he came to a stop next to **Anne Bonny**, who helped him back to his feet with a kiss on the cheek. With the dust settled, watched as Kenji got back to his feet, less the 2300 LP he had taken from the 3 attacks, leaving him with only 1700 left. While that was far more than Takara had, the look on Ryu's face told him a different story. Something was up.

"That's all you've got?" his friend muttered.

"For now," Takara admitted. "I can no longer attack, after all."

"That's right," Kenji said, a grin growing on his face. "And as you leave the Battle Phase, I can activate my face-down Quick-Play, **Dormant Rebirth**! It revives a **Dormant** monster from my GY, and then activates its on-field effect!"

"He will revive **Soldier**. Kenji wins!" Izumi realised.

"No, he doesn't," Takara said, overhearing her exclamation and taking a card from her hand.

Ryu watched as Kenji's face twisted in anger. "Don't tell me you have it again!" he yelled.

"I activate the Quick-Play spell, **Corsair Kamikaze**!" she said, earning a howl from Kenji. "I can only activate this card if my LP is lower than my opponent's and **The Ranger** is on the field, but if I meet those requirements, all cards on the field, including itself, are banished, and we both take damage equal to the amount of banished cards times 300!"

Ryu gasped. "But that means…"

"It's a draw! Again!" Kenji said.

Ryu and Izumi could on watched in stunned silence as **Calico Jack,** **Anne Bonny** and the** Swordsman** disappeared back onto **The Ranger**, and the ship set sail once more, disappearing from view. Glancing at Kenji, he could see his friend looking to the sky, and so he too peered that way, only to see the bow of the ship itself careening towards the centre of the arena. Bracing for impact along with the two duelists, the ship smashed into the arena and exploded in flames, as if 100 gunpowder barrels had all gone off at once. Ryu could feel the dampeners straining hard under the weight of the explosion, and while he and Izumi were fine, when the dust settled, he could see both duelists had been blown into the walls, barely able to stay on their feet as their LP hit 0 at the same time.

"What… what just happened?" Ryu asked to no one in particular.

"I'd like to know the same," came a voice from the edge of the arena.

All four of them looked in that direction immediately, and 5 figures emerged from the race, having been hidden in the shadows and watching the duel. Amongst them was 4 students.

And one very angry Gen Amamiya.

* * *

**_Coming Soon - The Director Calls_**


	11. The Director Calls

**Chapter Eleven: The Director Calls**

* * *

"What the hell is going on here?"

Gen's voice echoed through the deathly quiet arena. The dampeners fizzled down and switched themselves off as Kenji and Takara righted themselves gingerly, leaning against the walls they had been thrown into at either end of the arena by the explosion that had drawn the duel. Leaping over the small barricade, Ryu fell the short distance to the arena floor, rolling to lessen the impact as Izumi did the same. Straightening himself, Ryu began to walk towards Gen, who had now found himself in the centre of the arena, the other students who had been watching from the shadows with him still hanging back, their eyes glued to the centre of the arena as they awaited what would happen next.

"Can none of you speak? Who started this?" Gen demanded.

"It was mutual," Ryu said, the two duelists now reaching the edge of the arena. "Kenji has always been hot headed."

"Thanks, Ryu," the blonde muttered. "Pardon my language, Mr. Amamiya, but she was pissing me off. We didn't even get back to the dorms before we came here."

"You were pissing me off!" Takara said, pointing a finger. "City boy, thinking you're all high and –"

"Enough!" Gen bellowed, his voice echoing through the arena. "It appears both of you were responsible, then."

Kenji and Takara just looked at each other, drawing deep breaths. "I'd say that's about right," Ryu answered.

"Why are you speaking for them?" Gen asked.

"Because they barely can after that. You saw how that finished."

Gen raised an eyebrow briefly. "That's true," he said. "So, day one and the moment I let you two out of my sight, the lowest two ranked duelists decide they want to butt heads without booking an arena ahead of time, as per the rules that were _just_ told about."

"I thought S.A. encouraged dueling," Takara said. "Isn't that the Director said? That we are all about dueling here?"

Gen sighed. "Yes, yes. We are, but that's besides the point," he said. "You can't just go about using your power however you like. Once you're out in the real world, there aren't just arenas like this situated everywhere so you can throw your monsters out without risk of damaging stuff. What happens then? What happens when in the heat of the moment, you summon a monster that's not affected by the dampeners, that's as real as the concrete beneath your feet?"

Silence fell once more over the arena.

"You all remember the story from a couple weeks ago, about the Spirited that Taiki had to take down?" Gen said, earning some nods from the people around him. "An entire block was destroyed, and 11 people ended up dying as a result. That encounter lasted what, a few minutes? And look at all the damage it caused."

"Sir, we are in control of our decks," Kenji said. "Our Spirits are working with us."

"And what happens when they no longer are?" Gen asked. "What happens when the power becomes too much, too tempting? If you've conditioned yourself to unleash it whenever and however you like, who knows what damage you could do?"

"We wouldn't let that happen," Takara said.

"Perhaps that's what that Spirited thought too," Gen said, before sighing once more. "Here at S.A., we want to help you become the best version of you, and that also means controlling your impulses so no one else gets hurt. Everyone here, consider this your first and _final _warning about this. Now, you two, go clean yourselves up. You look horrible."

The homeroom teacher turned away, heading back to the watching students and motioning for them to move on and leave the arena. Left standing in the middle were the two duelists, Ryu between them and Izumi behind him, the slight chirps of birds able to be heard from the trees on the edge of the open field the arena was sat on.

"That could've been worse," Ryu said, breaking the silence. "You two got lucky."

Takara huffed. "Lot of help you were," she said.

Ryu put his hands up. "I had no part in this," he said defensively. "This is between you and Kenji."

"You know I'm not going to let this lie, right?" the blonde in question said, directed at Takara.

"You want to go again?" Takara said.

"Tomorrow," Kenji said. "Right here. I'll beat you this time, I'm sure of it."

"Sure you will," Takara said. "I'm heading back to the dorms. Izumi, want to come with?"

"Hm? Oh, sure," the short girl said. "Ryu, take care of him, would you? See you guys later!"

Kenji rubbed his arm, the one that had been squished between him and the arena wall, as the two friends watched Takara and Izumi leave them standing in the arena, their voices and conversation slowly drifting out of reach. Turning to face his friend, Ryu looked at him, the blonde returning his attention towards him once the two girls were firmly out of sight. As their eyes met, a single moment seemed to draw out for an eternity, before the two of them stifled a laugh, chuckling away with Ryu leaning on Kenji by placing his left hand on the man's shoulder.

"I've done it again, haven't I?" Kenji asked.

"Yeap."

"She's just like me."

"Yeap."

"And she's probably pissed right now."

"Also yeap," Ryu said, laughing away. "What are you going to do about it?"

Kenji shrugged. "Ask her out, most likely," he said, giggling.

"I'm sure that will end splendidly, Kenji," Ryu said, smacking him on the back. "Come on, they've probably got a big enough lead on us now. We had better head back as well."

"Where would I even take her?" Kenji wondered aloud as they began to walk. "There's no restaurants on campus. Do they let us leave on Sundays? How does that work?"

The two walked, the sun now firmly at the highest point it could be in the sky. Its energy rained down on them in a calming way, Ryu tempted to head for a nap once they had returned to the dorms and eaten lunch. The time amongst the trees lessened that feeling somewhat, the shade providing a respite from the warming glow of the sun. Nevertheless, once they made it back to the dorms, they found a couple of students standing out from, chatting away. Two boys, they seemed strikingly similar, and as they passed the two, Ryu was certain they had to be twins. He was a bit surprised he hadn't noticed this earlier; filing that bit of information away as he got Kenji to his room to recover, Ryu close the door quietly behind him and headed downstairs.

Just as Gen had said, lunch had already been fully prepared for them all, individual plates set out with their names attached to them so there was no confusion. Out of the corner of his eye, he also noticed there appeared to be a buffet of some kind at the back of the room, although he was not particularly tempted by it. He knew from the news that S.A. donated any food that wasn't eaten on campus to the homeless and welfare shelters in Akiruno and beyond, and he didn't want to feel like he was taking from them when he had his own meal, fit to his dietary plan, already prepared and made for him. A vegetable pasta with bacon bits mixed in, he took it and the orange juice out of the room and headed to one of the nearby tables, placing his glass down on the table as he took the bowl in one hand, hot but not scalding, and began to eat, watching the current Indian Union duel on the screen before him. It was a pretty one-sided affair, with one duelist nearly twice as high up the rankings as the other. Despite this, he found himself entranced in the duel, to the point where he barely noticed as someone sat down in the chair next to his.

"Good duel?" the student asked.

Ryu flicked him his gaze momentarily, finishing the bite in his mouth as he noted the surprisingly silver hair and spectacled blue eyes. "Could be worse," he said. "You came for lunch too, eh?"

"Of course," the student said, placing the sandwiched plate down and extended a hand. "I'm Sho, by the way. Sho Chinen."

Ryu dropped his fork into the bowl and took it. "Ryu, although considering I got my ass handed to me by Rei earlier, I'm assuming you already knew that," he said with a chuckle.

Sho replied in turn with a chuckle of his own. "Yes, it wasn't a pretty affair, but I am glad for the opportunity to see her in action."

"You're pretty high ranked, then," Ryu guessed.

"You know your stuff," Sho said. "2nd, actually. I was a bit disappointed to see that she had got the number one spot, but no matter. I will take it from her easily enough."

"It's a big ask," Ryu said between bites. "A deck of handtraps? What can you even do against that?"

"The best will find a way. It's how the professionals do it after all," Sho said. "You going to be down here tomorrow for Taiki's duel?"

"I'm thinking about it," Ryu said. "It's at 11am, right?"

The silver-haired student nodded. "An exhibition match to bring in the Japanese Dueling League. It should be exciting."

"Depends who he's facing."

Sho shrugged. "That's true, I suppose," he said, turning his attention to the screen. "Shall we keep watching?"

They did so, only for the duel to end a moment later. Getting to talking as they worked their way through their meals, Ryu came to find Sho knew a surprising amount about him, likely from the attention he got thanks to Taiki causing him to do a bit of research. Sho himself was a bit of a mystery to Ryu, but he did manage to learn from their conversing that his deck was a machine deck, although it was unsurprising given he was already a mechanic.

"But you're my age, right?" Ryu asked. "How are you a registered mechanic?"

"Well, my mother is an engineer and my dad is a mechanic himself," Sho answered. "By the time I was 13, I already sort of knew everything I needed to know to become one from them. Yurekai, my Spirit, is also involved with them in their world, so it was a pretty easy thing to do."

"Why are you dueling then?" Ryu asked. "Surely you and Yurekai could do some crazy things with your machinery skills."

"Perhaps, but its not where I'm called to be," Sho said after swallowing a bite. "The arena is my workshop. Out there I feel more alive than anywhere else. Plus, it brings the family name into the spotlight. You'd be surprised how much extra work they've been able to get thanks to my name being out there."

"I'm surprised I haven't heard of you before," Ryu said.

"Honestly, I hadn't even heard of most of the people here, despite the media attention on all of us for being Spirited," Sho said. "Still, life's nothing if not full of surprises, right?"

Ryu swallowed another mouthful, bacon bit getting stuck in his teeth. "I suppose that is true," he said.

"Well, I'll leave you to watch the next match," Sho said, standing up with an empty plate. "It was nice to meet you, Ryu."

As the silver-haired student walked away and left Ryu with his half-finished bowl of pasta, the next duel commenced on the screen, even though he found himself paying little attention to it. Not only was the 2nd ranked student here a professional mechanic, but held a wealth of knowledge within him that felt as if it far surpassed his own. As his nibbled away at the rest of his lunch, a single thought kept coming back to Ryu.

How do I catch up to them?

* * *

The rest of the day passed rather quietly. After a session in the gym, Ryu walked the grounds some more, alone with his thoughts as he used the tablet from his room to find his way to the running tracks, where he knew he would likely be spending a decent amount of time in the future. Heading back to his room once he was confident he had a decent idea of the layout of the academy, he found himself sitting out on the balcony, sun pouring in from its position nearing the horizon, the cooling afternoon breeze whipping at his face. Cleaning his glasses, he returned his attention to the class booklet they had been given earlier, before the incident between Kenji and Takara.

Flicking through the pages, he noted the ones he was most likely to go for, crossing out some of the ones that didn't interest him, such as Criminal History and Music. He knew already that Spirit Theory was going to be one of the three options he chose, but he wasn't sure what the others would be. He had wanted to change up his running regime for a while, so Cardio seemed interesting. Dueling History and Creative Arts were ones that also caught his eye as he gave them a proper read, but narrowing them down to just 3 choices would be tricky. Soul, Control and Duel Theory all seemed to be challenging courses, but then he surmised that was likely the point. As the units that everyone had to do, S.A. had to make sure every student was pushed to their limits in these courses, or else there wasn't much they could really do for the students.

His thoughts were interrupted when his tablet bleeped from inside his room. Closing the booklet, he returned to the room to find a message flicking on his screen. Opening it, he felt his heart skip a beat as he could see it was a message from the Director himself, Fumihiro Nagayama.

"Mr. Kagayaku, I hope you have settled in nicely this afternoon," the message read. "I would like to speak to you tomorrow after lunch. If you could please report to my office at the top floor of the reception building at 11am, thank would be fantastic. Thank you."

As he finished reading, he barely had a moment to process why the Director could want to speak with him before a knock came at his door. Placing the tablet back down on the table, he walked over and opened it, revealing a rather refreshed Kenji.

"What's up?" Ryu asked.

"Just thought I'd let you know that Takara and I will be dueling at 11am tomorrow," he said. "You'd better be there."

"I can't," Ryu said. "I've got to meet the Director then."

Kenji raised an eyebrow. "The Director? Why?"

"Not sure," Ryu answered. "I just got a message from him on my tablet about it. I'm sorry."

"Damn," Kenji muttered. "I was hoping to have you there to support me. Izumi's already thrown her support behind Takara."

"Why are you even doing this at 11am anyway?" Ryu asked. "Taiki is opening the JDL at that time."

"Yeah, I know, I know," Kenji said. "It's the only time an arena was free, though, likely because of that reason. I'll just have to miss it. Not like he'll lose anyway."

"Point," Ryu said. "What are you doing for the rest of the day?"

"Prepping for tomorrow, most likely," Kenji said. "Yogan has had some… choice words for me. You?"

"I'm going to get my classes sorted, get that out of the way," Ryu answered. "And try and figure out why the Director has called me in."

"Fair," Kenji said with a nod. "Alright. See you!"

"Good luck tomorrow!"

The door closed, and Ryu was left alone with his thoughts. There were a multitude of reason the Director would want to talk with him. His entrance exam, with Taiki watching on, were likely factors. His duel against Rei, and what it meant for him going forward after being humiliated on the main stage. Or, and he suspected this was the most likely case, he wanted to talk about his Spirit. While it wasn't exactly common knowledge, Ryu had not hidden the fact that Ki was basically an unknown. As far as he had been able to tell, there was no one else like him out there, and if that was indeed the case, the Director was likely to have an interest in him. Only time would tell.

Day passed into night, and after getting his dinner and scurrying back to his room, his social meter drained for the day, Ryu struggled to get to sleep as questions upon questions floated through his head. He caught up on some of the news of the day in an effort to distract himself, but it did very little as he stayed awake longer than he would have liked. The new bed was deceptively comfortable, though, and eventually he passed out. Before he knew it, he awoke to the sound of birds chirping on his balcony, the cool blue sky out his window indicating the dawn of a new day.

Rising from his bed, he did his morning stretches before changing into his workout gear and heading down to the gym for his routine. He found there were already 4 other students present and training away. He recognised Sho and the older man he had heard Gen call Noboru yesterday, but the others he did not know yet. All were doing their own thing, and so Ryu set about doing his own. The plethora of different equipment available to them was a little overwhelming, and he found it hard to concentrate as the clock ticked over to 7am, every second dripping closer to his meeting with the Director. It was something he still hadn't gotten any answers for, and the sense of dread he felt in the pit of his stomach wasn't helping either.

Finishing his workout, he stepped into the other room quickly to grab his breakfast before returning to his room, flicking the television on as he sat on the couch and ate eggs and sausages. On the screen, the news crews were already waiting at Shibuya Stadium, where the first duel of the JDL was being held. It didn't surprise him, considering how much of a celebrity event the opening ceremony was. It was still over an hour before guests started arriving, though, and a while still before the general public would be allowed in, but he continued to play it in the background as he washed the plate and cutlery in the sink and placed them with the dishes from the night before. Apparently, they would come and retrieve any dishes during the morning, so Ryu suspected they would be gone by the time he returned from his meeting.

Showering, Ryu felt renewed as he slipped into comfortable, yet somewhat formal, clothing, jeans and a nice t-shirt to ensure he didn't give the Director the wrong impression. Checking his watch, he saw the time click over to 10.30am as he tried to get his hair to settle in a spot he wanted, to no available. His fringe had always been a problem, but it was getting a bit hard to control even by his standards. A haircut was probably in order, he thought, but he still wasn't sure what the Academy's policy was on leaving grounds. He knew there was a shopping centre about 20 minutes' walk from the Academy Entrance, but before he could put much thought into it, a knock came at his door. Putting the brush down and opening it, Ryu felt his breath catch in his throat as his was met by the sight of red, flowing hair.

"Morning, Rei," he said after a moment.

"I heard the Director is meeting you today," she said, eyes boring into him.

"Kenji told everyone, didn't he?" Ryu asked, getting a quick nod from her. "Right. Yes, I am. Why do you ask?"

Rei held up her tablet. "So am I."

Reading through the message, it was the exact same one he had received, just with her name instead of his. "Is this about the duel, then?" Ryu wondered aloud.

"I have no idea," Rei admitted. "We had better get going."

Getting a nod from Ryu, he closed his door behind him before he followed the woman down and out of the dorm rooms, cleaning his glasses on his shirt as they did so. The two did not speak while they walked, the warming breeze of the morning rustling through the forest as they arrived at the edge of campus. He could hear a couple of arenas were in use, various voices and explosions carrying their way to them. He imagined they were likely the other first years, since unless particular classes had dueling in them, which was possible, the other two years had classes on during this time. He hoped it was the former, though, as it would give them even more opportunities to duel against the other students and improve his ranking.

The clock struck 11.50am the moment the two entered the reception building. Getting a nod from the lady at the desk, the two entered the elevator and took it up to the 10th floor which, as far as they could tell, was dedicated solely to the Director's office and nothing else. Exiting the elevator, Ryu fell in behind Rei as they headed for the two large wooden doors, two cameras coming from the ceiling watching their approach. Reaching the doors, Rei opened them to find the Director sitting behind a large, ornate wooden desk, sun basking in through the wall of glass like they had in their rooms. On the other side of the desk was two chairs, almost beckoning them to sit down without the Director having to say a word.

"5 minutes early, very good," Fumihiro said with a smile, leaning on the desk with each elbow resting upon it, his hands clasped together. "Please, have a seat."

"Why have you called us here, Director?" Rei asked as they sat down.

"Before we start, are your partners with you?" Fumihiro asked.

"No," they said in unison.

"May as well get straight into it, then," he said. "Here at S.A., one of our goals is to ensure everyone grows to their fullest potential. That doesn't just mean you, though. It means your Spirits, and your bond with your Spirits as well. But you two are… different, shall we say, from what we've encountered here before, or elsewhere for that matter. Are you two aware of the nature of each other's Spirit?"

"No," Ryu said.

"Yes," Rei said, earning a raised brow from Ryu. "I'd rather not have mine shared, either, if it's all the same to you, Director."

"Of course, Miss Kurokaen, of course. That's why I asked to make sure I didn't say anything untoward," Fumihiro said, before sighing. "You must understand, one of the other functions of duel academies like this one is to ensure nothing surprises us when it comes to Spirits. Since you two are different, we have to ensure that nothing goes wrong, and that they won't end up doing something we aren't prepared for."

"With all due respect, Director, you know that will not happen," Rei said.

"I'm well aware of your position, Miss Kurokaen, but you have to understand, precautions must be taken," Fumihiro said. "Mr. Kagayaku, do you have anything you wish to tell us about your Spirit?"

"Nothing I suspect you don't know already," Ryu said, distracted by the woman next to him. "He has never given me his name nor shown his identity, but he never been anything other than helpful. He'd never do anything to hurt me or someone else."

"That you're aware of," the Director said. "Spirits are rarely secretive, and when they have been, too many times have we had situations like the one from a couple of weeks ago. As the pre-eminent Academy in Japan, we must ensure that such a situation doesn't occur here on campus."

"You're a damned fool if you like I'd let that happen," Rei snapped.

"I'm not trying to attack or accuse you, Miss Kurokaen. I've not brought you here for that," the Director said. "I just want to ensure you understand the situation we all find ourselves in here at the Academy."

"I think I understand perfectly well, Director," Rei said, standing. "Thank you for the warning."

The two men watched as the redhead bowed slightly before leaving the room in a huff, closing the doors a little harder than she really needed to. Watching her leave, Ryu heard a sigh from the man behind him, turning back to see the man rubbing his forehead.

"What's up with her?" Ryu asked.

"She's always been problematic, that one," the Director said. "We've been following the two of you for quite some time, obviously. She's never been one to take kindly to this kind of authority."

"Does it have to do with her Spirit? What's different about it?" Ryu asked.

"If she wants to tell you, she will. It's not my place to say," Fumihiro said. "I do hope you understand what I'm trying to tell you, though."

"Of course," Ryu said. "I was actually hoping you guys might be able to help me figure out exactly why Ki is like this."

"We can certainly try our best," the Director replied. "Try and do your best in Soul and Control. I will let the two teachers know you might be after some extra tutelage in those classes to help you with that."

"Thank you, Director," Ryu said.

"Okay, good. That's all I wanted to discuss with you today," the man said, leaning back in his chair. "Feel free to head back."

"One thing," Ryu said. "What's the policy on leaving campus?"

"Go as you please," Fumihiro said. "You can use your tablet to scan in and out at the entrance any time you like, just make sure you make it to classes and you aren't out after dark without express consent."

"You place a lot of trust in us."

"You're the best of the best. We give you that trust because it is expected of you," the Director said. "Now go. Kenji and Takara are dueling in Arena 5, by the way."

Ryu smiled as he stood. "Thank you, Director," he said with a bow.

"Thank you for coming, Mr. Kagayaku," Fumihiro said. "Don't forget to have your class choices to Mr. Amamiya by Friday!"

Waving goodbye in acknowledgement, the smile drifted from Ryu's face once he was beyond the doors to the Director's office. Thankfully, he hadn't been brought there to be chastised, but he had been left with more questions and no answers to his previous queries. Rei wasn't just the best in class, she was also like him, with a Spirit unlike anything that had been seen before. Stepping into the elevator, Ryu found himself deep in though as the elevator's doors closed and took him back to the ground below.

* * *

_**Coming Soon - Contact**_


	12. Contact

**Chapter Twelve: Contact**

* * *

"**Calico Jack,** attack his life points directly and end this duel! Bullet Hail!"

Ryu entered the arena just as the last attack was fired. Watching from the race, he saw the Level 8 Synchro, flanked by 2 other **Corsairs** that he didn't recognise, nod in Takara's direction before raising his pistol at Kenji's direction and pulling the trigger. The bullet pierced his stomach, and glancing down at his duel disk which was reading the current board, he watched as his friend's LP trickled down from 550 to 0, Takara's own sitting at a measly 300. Another tight duel, but he knew Kenji wouldn't be happy with the result. After two draws already to the woman before him, he wasn't going to take this lying down.

"God dammit," Kenji muttered from the ground, the dampeners fading and Takara's field disappearing. "If you hadn't stopped my trap…"

"Good duel, Kenji," Takara said, walking over and offering him a hand. "Thankfully I didn't draw that spell this time, eh?"

"Damn right," Kenji said, taking the hand and getting back to his feet. "I hate that thing."

Ryu huffed, and suddenly felt a new presence beside him. "They're getting along well," he said to Izumi, who had walked down from the stands to find him. "How'd you know I was here?"

"Ibara told me you were coming," she said, looking out at the two duelists. "You missed a lot. There was a lot of yelling during the duel."

"They've worked it out, though?" Ryu asked.

Izumi nodded. "Seems that way," she said, only for Kenji to punch Takara in the arm. "Or not?"

Takara punched him back. "I think that's just the two of them flirting," Ryu said, noting a small chuckle emanate from both of them.

"Seems like it," she said.

"So, what did Takara want with you yesterday?" Ryu asked. "She took you aside after the last duel even though you hadn't really spoke before."

Ryu could see Izumi's cheeks flush a little. "Oh, nothing really," she said. "She just wanted to meet some new people I suppose."

"I see," Ryu said, not willing to push her on the subject, noting Kenji waving at him. "Looks like they're coming this way."

Kenji walked up and gave Ryu a hug. "You're alive," the blonde said. "I wasn't sure I'd see you again, getting called in like that."

"No, it was nothing like that," Ryu said. "He just wanted to talk about my Spirit."

"Your Spirit?" Takara asked. "What about it?"

Ryu told them of the discussion, but decided to leave out any mention of Rei being there. He knew there were likely to be rumours circulating about her also being called to the Director's office just like Kenji had told people about his own visit, but he didn't feel it was his place to say that something was up with Rei's Spirit as well. As the Director had said, if she wanted to tell people, she would.

"That's really strange," Izumi said. "I've never heard of a Spirit doing that."

"No one has, not even S.A.," Ryu said, earning a look from the others. "Apparently Soul and Control might be able to help me, so I'll be focussing on those classes in particular."

"Well, I hope you find what you're looking for," Takara said. "I'm going to head back to the dorms and see if the JDL ceremonial duel is over yet. Want to come?"

"I was going to head into Akiruno for a haircut, actually," Ryu said.

"You can do that?" Kenji asked.

Ryu nodded. "Director says that so long as we are back before dark and don't miss any classes, we can come and go as we please," he said. "Likely to ensure we can meet up with friends and family with relative ease."

"Makes sense," Kenji said. "I was going to head back to the dorms anyway, too. A good shower should give me a new strategy to beat this one next time."

Takara batted away the incoming fist to the arm. "You wish, city boy," she said, earning a scowl from Kenji.

"Izumi?" Ryu asked.

"No, I'm good thank you," the small girl said. "I'm not good with bigger towns, so I'm just going to take it slow for now. I'll head back with the others."

"Fair enough," Ryu said. "I've got to head back that way anyway to get my tablet, since that let's you in and out. I'll just head out after lunch."

By the time the group arrived back at the dorm, midday had arrived, and the opening duel of the JDL had long since been completed, the only students remaining in the common area were the twins, watching away at what appeared to be the second duel of the League. Passing them by, they saw a few others were on the second floor playing away at some of the pool tables and consoles, chatting away about the result of the duel. Taiki had won easily, it seemed, although apparently the challenger this time was the winner from a previous overseas season. The result was hardly surprised, but Ryu couldn't help but wonder when someone would come along that was able to challenge Taiki for the title. As it stood, he was likely going to sweep the League like he always did. While it made for a good spectacle, it also meant the real draw of the season was who would finish second to him.

Saying goodbye to Takara and Izumi on the third floor, Kenji gave Ryu a wave goodbye as they split and headed into their own rooms. Grabbing his tablet from the table and placing it into his backpack along with his duel disk, he cleaned his glasses before returning to the bottom floor, where he dipped into the lunch room to pick up his meal, a chicken noodle dish with some vegetables mixed in. Taking the bowl out into the common area, he noted the twins had left, and there was only one student currently present, a rather short, thin girl was ashen brown hair. Deciding it would be rude to sit elsewhere, he took up a seat at the table where her pasta meal was, and went to say hello, only to find his words catch in his throat as piercing golden eyes looked up at him.

"Oh, hello," the girl said in a high-pitched voice, smiling. "You're Ryu, right?"

"I… yes, that's me," he said, placing his bag on the ground between his feet. "Sorry, it's just –"

"My eyes? Don't worry, I'm used to it," she said. "I'm Aya Saito, by the way. It's nice to meet you."

"Saito, Saito… is there a reason I recognise that name?" Ryu asked her, feeling a niggling in the back of his mind.

Aya nodded a little. "My father runs one of the major mining companies in Japan, and my mother does the financials for them," she replied.

Ryu's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, that's it! I remember hearing about you," he said. "The Spirited daughter of the Saito family. Been a while since I've heard the name."

"I don't blame you, it's not the most exciting industry," she said. "I'm sure you didn't come say hi to talk about that, though."

"Not particularly," Ryu said with a slight chuckle, beginning to eat away at his noodles. "Just thought it would be rude to sit elsewhere."

"I wouldn't have minded, but it's always nice to meet new people," she said, before motioning to the television. "Shall we watch? Bit hard to eat and talk at the same time."

Ryu laughed, but agreed. The two sat in relative silence as the duel played, the 3rd of the League season between the 41st and 57th ranked duelists in the JDL. There was a lot of back and forth lasting a number of turns, and Ryu's noodles quickly vanished as he became entranced by the duel. Their monsters and cards moved with speed and ferocity far beyond his own, their effects and strategies ones that he knew he would struggle to last two turns against, let alone go for as long as they were. Eventually, though, the 57th ranked won out, to the surprise of the commentators, the crowd, and to Ryu and Aya, finishing with a flourish of multiple attacks to wipe out his opponent's remaining LP. The crowd cheered, and Ryu heard Aya's bowl clank against the table as she put it down, empty.

"They're amazing, don't you think?" she said.

Ryu nodded. "Makes you wonder how we will ever reach their level," he said.

"True. Ryuu believes I'll get there, though," Aya said with a smirk.

"Is your Spirit named Ryuu?"

Aya giggled. "Yep. We had a laugh about it when we saw your name on the board at the entrance exams," she said. "For someone whose name means 'dragon', your deck has quite a lack of them, you know."

"Well, not all Spirited get decks that fit their names, do they?" Ryu said with a huff. "What kind of name is Ryuu for a Spirit, anyway? It's not like they're the only dragon Spirit out there."

"Perhaps, but it's the name she's given me," Aya said. "What are you doing with yourself this afternoon, Ryu?"

"Off to get a haircut. Director says we can come and go as we please so long as we are back before dark and we don't miss classes," he said. "You?"

"Ryuu and I are going to go and watch the twins duel in Arena 4 later this afternoon," she replied. "Apparently, they're ranked 9th and 10th, and Izanagi, the 10th, isn't too pleased about it."

"You knew them before?"

Aya shook her head. "No, but as the 8th ranked here, I think it'll give me a good chance to have a look at what might be coming after me soon."

"I see," Ryu said. "Well, good luck with that."

"Heading off?" Aya asked as Ryu stood.

He nodded. "May as well get it out of the way," he said. "See you round."

Returning his plate to the other room, Ryu flicked Kenji a text to let him know where he was headed and left the dorms. The walk through the academy was pleasant, the sounds of students dueling echoing through the trees. Passing into the academy proper, he saw a number of other students and teachers walking around, likely heading off to their next classes after the lunch break. Heading through the reception area, he received a simple nod of the head from the lady behind the desk as he tabbed out with his tablet, a quick ding emanating from the device indicating that he was now registered as being off campus. With everything in order, Ryu headed out of the Academy and down into Akiruno.

Following the walkway into the city, the walk itself took perhaps 15 minutes, maybe a little more, for Ryu to descend from where S.A. was nestled into the mountainside into the outskirts of the city. Forest and grassland soon gave way to homes and businesses as he walked, his mind empty for the first time in a while. While it wandered as it always did to random thoughts and impossible conjectures, the serenity of the walk, surrounding by buzzing wildlife and basked in the glow of a sun coming in and out from behind cloud cover, filled him with a sense of peace he hadn't felt since he had been asked to participate in the exam weeks prior. Even if he had a long road ahead of him, the first leg of it was well and truly finished. A smile grew over his face.

The feeling of happiness continued as he entered the bustling city of Akiruno. While situated on the edge of the sprawling expanse of Tokyo, the city had long seen since an exponential rise in growth ever since S.A. became the household name it was today. Entire businesses and markets were based around the Spirited, and news stations had set up their own stations nearby so they would always have easy access to the academy should something happen. Along with the influx of people wanting to live near and see the Academy, the population and tourism rate had grown exponentially, and the city that was once considered one of the smaller cities was now one of its most thriving.

For some of the other students, Ryu knew this would be intimidating, but his time growing up in Kita had given him a good sense of how to handle bustling metropolises like this. Using his phone as a guide, he stopped and leaned against a building on the edge of the pathway, looking for the hairdresser in the area with the best rating. He didn't want to rock up to the first day of class next week with a dodgy look, after all. Nevertheless, it still took him a while to find one that he liked, a place within a mall nearby that was a little over 10 minutes' walk from his current location. While it wasn't the one he had thought of earlier before he and Rei had met with the Director, the mall also seemed to contain other interesting amenities like a cinema, cafés and clothing outlets, and so he made a mental note to tell Kenji about it once he had returned. Slipping his headphones in and setting the map to give him instructions as he walked, he set off once more.

The walk was pretty tame, weaving between buildings as he followed the main drags towards the mall itself. His headphones played some soft music to drown out the sounds of the cars going past, and as his map indicated to him, the place he was looking for was getting closer. Noting a gap in the houses that seemed to indicate a small alleyway that would cut some time off of his walk, Ryu went to head down it, only to turn and look as he saw a young boy running towards him.

"Hey, mister! Wait up!" the boy said.

Ryu pulled one headphone out. "Can I help you?" he asked, the boy who now stopped before him looking barely old enough to be 10.

"You're that Spirited guy, the one from TV, right?" the boy asked.

"You mean from a couple weeks ago?" Ryu asked, and the boy nodded. "Yes, that was me."

"And you're at S.A. now? That's so cool!" the boy said, holding out a poster of Taiki Muteki. "Can I have your autograph?"

Ryu chuckled one. "Sure?" he said, a little confused but still took the pen and poster in his hand.

"Thank you, mister!" the boy said, jumping on the spot lightly with his hands balled into fists underneath his chin.

"Where are your parents, by the way?" he asked, handing the poster back, only the feel a familiar presence suddenly rush into his mind.

_\- Ryu -_

The boy smiled. "Right behind you."

And everything went black.

* * *

_\- Ryu, get up -_

A finger twitched.

_\- Get up -_

Pain. Throbbing. Wet. Cold. Sensation after sensation washed over Ryu, feeling returning to his body before his mind awoke. Eyes flittered. Fingers shuddered. With a jolt, he sat upright, chest heaving. His head swirled, vision blurry until it wasn't, the cold harshness of the floor creeping into every part of his body that touched it. Regaining control of his senses, he felt a bit of dried blood stuck to the side of his temple, and noted his glasses were on the floor in front of him. Picking them up, his vision cleared and he realised he was in a dimly lit warehouse of some kind. In front and to his right, a single light illuminated an old dueling platform of some kind, the likes of which he hadn't heard of for years. His heart skipped a beat at its sight, and he realised his backpack, with his duel disk and tablet, were gone.

_\- Get ready -_

"Ready?" Ryu whispered as softly as he could. "For what?"

_\- For him -_

A second light appeared, on the other side of Ryu's vision to the arena. Before him, a figure in black sat on a rusty looking chair, and while a hood obscured most of his face, Ryu could tell it was a man. Next to him was a club with a bit of dried blood on it, along with an empty duel disk on his arm. Feeling his head sway a little bit, Ryu shook it and forced himself to stand, causing the man to tilt his head in Ryu's direction, his features hidden in shadow.

"You're awake," the man said in a gruff, almost strained voice. "Good. It's fortunate we Spirited are hardier than most."

_\- Dangerous. Do not go near him -_

"Who are you?" Ryu demanded, grabbing his head. "Where are we?"

"Not far, don't worry," the hooded man said. "You were only out for about 20 minutes, after all."

"Where's my stuff?"

The hooded man pointed. "Over there," he said, his finger directing Ryu's gaze towards the close side of the platform, where he saw his backpack lying against what appeared to be a podium of some kind. "I have not touched anything within it."

"You'll never get away with this, you know," Ryu said. "I'm a student of S.A."

"I'm aware. Why do you think you're here?" the hooded figure said.

_\- I've had a look. There's no obvious way out -_

"Thanks," Ryu whispered to Ki, before returning his attention to the hooded man. "What is it that you want, then? What happened to the kid?"

"The kid was never there. Neat trick, right?" the hooded figure said. "As for what I want, well… that's a story now isn't it? Not one you really need to hear."

"You never answered my question," Ryu said, standing tall now with both fists clenched. "Who are you?"

The hooded figure rose from his seat. "My name doesn't really matter, but if you must, call me Divine," he said, gesturing toward the platform. "If you win, you might not ever hear from me again."

"A duel?" Ryu asked, the name raising more questions than answers even as he filed it away for later. "On this old thing?"

"For old times' sake," the hooded man said. "Your duel disk won't work, but you will see what to do when you get up there."

"Why should I?" Ryu asked. "What do I get for doing so?"

"Win, and I'll reveal the way out," the hooded figure said. "Lose, and I claim you."

"You 'claim' me? What does that mean?" Ryu demanded.

_\- If he can create the image of a child like that out of thin air, who knows what he's capable of. We have to be careful -_

"What do we do?" Ryu whispered, the man having turned his attention away from Ryu to begin moving towards another podium which stood on the other side of the platform.

_\- Go along with it. I will be with you. We can defeat him -_

"Are you sure?"

_\- Very -_

Following Divine to the platform, plans began to form in Ryu's mind. Wherever they were, it appeared to be underground, as neither the breeze nor the sun seemed to be coming through the far walls of the warehouse. Additionally, as Ki had already done with scouting, there were no obvious entrance and exit points, meaning the warehouse had either long since been abandoned, or was built specifically for this purpose. Reaching his bag, his suspicions were somewhat confirmed as it stated no signal, indicating they were likely underground somewhere. Since he had told everyone he would be away for some time getting a haircut, it meant no help was coming, as they would be none the wiser to what had befallen him. Breathing heavily to try and steady himself, Ryu felt a dull warmth grow inside of him, Ki likely trying to aid in calming his nerves. This was the last thing he expected to happen during the first week of being at Spirited Academy, but he had no choice now. Whoever Divine was, he had to face him head-on.

Taking his duel disk, he removed the Deck and Extra Deck from their slots and faced the podium. Standing up on the ledge behind it, Ryu quickly deduced is was an early-era dueling arena, with the glass desk in the middle of the podium laid out like a dueling field. Below them on the ground was 20 squares, 10 on either side to represent the dueling arena and the Field Spells likely to impact the arena as a whole if activated. After the desk lit up on his approach, Ryu placed his two piles of cards into their respective slots, and he could see Divine at the other end doing the same.

"I'm glad you accepted my invitation," the man said.

"Like I had a choice," Ryu replied, drawing his 5 cards.

Divine did the same. "Shall I go first, then?" he asked.

_\- Let him. We will defeat him. I will make sure of it -_

"Go ahead," Ryu said, readying himself behind the podium. "It'll be the only one you get."

**_DUEL!_**

* * *

**_Coming Soon - Hand of Fate_**


	13. Hand of Fate

**Chapter Thirteen: Hand of Fate**

* * *

The old system whirred to life. On the sides, the dampeners lit up. In front of him, the screen they would be placing their cards on flashed blue, tendrils of technological symbols lighting and dissipating again as the system booted. Looking down at the cards he had drawn, Ryu knew he was in a good position. With Ki influencing his draws with his powers, this came as no surprise, but he knew he couldn't let slip even once against this opponent. Ki had called him dangerous, and that was something entirely new to Ryu. Steadying his breathing, he waited for his opponent to make their first move.

"I hope you have brought your best today, Ryu. I want to see everything you have to offer," Divine said. "I'll start by activating the spell card **Divinator Draw**! By sending **Monarch Divinator** from my hand to the GY, I draw 2 cards."

_\- Odd -_

"What is it?" Ryu whispered.

_\- That deck gives off a different energy to what he did before -_

"A different energy?" Ryu muttered as Divine drew his cards. "How?"

_\- I'm not sure. Let's keep watching -_

"Then, I will summon **Strategy Divinator** from my hand!" Divine said. "Appear, my monster! (Lvl: 4/**ATK: 1550**/DEF: 1550)."

The middle front square on Divine's side of the field burst forth with a dim yellow light, and from the floor rose a hologram of an older woman, wreathed in white clothing. On the robes over the chest was a strange symbol Ryu didn't recognise from anywhere in particular, and as she righted herself, he noted she had a third eye in the middle of her forehead, which opened to reveal a pure white eye with no pupil. The symbol itself almost seemed to reflect this, an open hand in the middle of a twelve-pointed star that had an eye coming from the palm of its hand. As it opened, a compartment opened on Ryu's platform, underneath his spell and trap zone.

"What's going on?" Ryu demanded.

"While **Strategy Divinator** is on the field, you play with your hand revealed," Divine said. "Placing your cards on the revealed slot will allow me to see them at any given time."

"This isn't good," Ryu whispered to Ki as he placed his 5 cards down.

_\- That's not the effect of a deck that's looking to attack -_

"My thoughts exactly," Ryu said.

"Interesting cards, you Spirit must be helping you quite a lot right now, yes?" Divine said. "I will have to be prepared then, it seems."

"Nothing you do will stop me on my turn," Ryu snapped. "You can be assured of that."

Divine just laughed. "Good, Ryu, good," he muttered. "Show me what you can do. I activate a spell card, **Divinator Genesis**! Since I control a **Divinator** monster, I can Special Summon, from my hand or Deck, 2 **Divinator** monsters with different names that are the same level as the **Divinator **monster I control! But for the rest of this turn, I cannot activate their effects, and you take no damage."

"Is this a burn deck?" Ryu asked aloud.

"Not exactly," Divine said. "Appear before me, from my deck, **Death Divinator**! (Lvl: 4/ATK: 1450/**DEF: 1450**). And from my hand, **Combat Divinator**! (Lvl: 4/ATK: 1350/**DEF: 1350**)."

The zones either side of **Strategy Divinator** lit up, and from them came two men, also dressed in white. One was skeletal in appearance, wearing priest-like robes with the same symbol as **Strategy **on its chest. The other one was the same, covered head to toe in metal armour but with a white tabard over the top that had the symbol plastered over it. As they also righted themselves, there was a flash of light from the foreheads of each of the monsters, and for a moment the spell and trap zone, as well as the banished zone, glowed white before fading once again.

"They also see things, don't they?" Ryu asked.

"You S.A. students are always so quick," Divine said. "While on the field, **Combat Divinator** will reveal any monster, spell or trap you set without activating their effects, before returning them to their original positions. **Death Divinator**, on the other hand, allows me to see any card you banish face-down."

"Which means you'll see any card I play, any plan I might come up with," Ryu realised.

"That's right," Divine said. "I set one card face-down. Your move, if you'll take it."

* * *

_Divine – 4000 LP/Hand – 1/Field – Strategy, Death, Combat, one face-down_

**_Ryu – 4000 LP/Hand – 5/Field – nil_**

* * *

Looking down at the cards he currently had, Ryu could see plenty of ways out of his current situation. He wasn't sure how much this man knew about him, but considering the child, or _whatever_ it was that ran up to him, knew about his public duels, it was logical to surmise the man knew a lot about him. Spirited didn't exactly live private lives, but at the same time, there had to be a reason why he was doing this. Was he acting alone? Was he after him specifically? Ryu wasn't sure not to think, and felt his arm almost seem to refuse to move as he ordered it forward to draw a card.

_\- Relax. We can do this -_

"Have you figured out what's going on yet?" Ryu whispered, looking in Divine's direction.

_\- I believe another Spirited leant him the power to create that child. It is not his own -_

"Is that even possible?"

_ \- In rare instances. It's why this deck doesn't feel like it has the same energy -_

"What's his goal, then?" Ryu asked.

_\- His cards are based around seeing as much of an opponent's deck as possible. I would say he is a scout for whoever leant him that power -_

"A scout? Who would want to attack an S.A. student just to spy on them?" Ryu muttered.

_\- I don't know. But it does make our task a lot easier -_

"He's weaker than you thought," Ryu realised.

_\- Fulfil your promise to him, Ryu. If he wants to see your strength, show him -_

"Right," Ryu said, returning his attention fully to Divine. "My turn, then."

"Took your time," Divine said. "Your Spirit is a talkative one, I take it."

"When they want to be. Draw!" Ryu said, drawing the card and placing it on the platform for Divine to see.

"That's a nice card," the man said. "What will you do?"

"Finish you this turn," Ryu said. "I activate the continuous spell, **Reiki Energy**! Now, every time a **Reiki** monster is Special Summoned, except by **Energy's** own effect, I can gain LP equal to half its ATK and also place a counter on this card!"

"This is new, is it not?" Divine said. "It's a wonderful card."

_ \- Don't listen to him, Ryu. Press on -_

"Next, I will summon out the Tuner monster, **Reiki Master**! (Lvl: 2/**ATK: 100**/DEF: 2100)," Ryu said, and the old, tanned, bearded man appeared on the field, facing away from Ryu. "I activate his effect, and banish **Reiki Overloader** from my Deck!"

_\- Do not hesitate this time, Ryu -_

Ryu nodded. "**Master's** second effect activates, letting me revive a **Reiki** that's either in my GY or banished by taking damage equal to its level x 200! Appear, **Reiki Overloader**! (Lvl: 6/**ATK: 2200**/DEF: 2100)."

As his LP dropped from 4000 to 2800, the second monster appeared on the field, large black gloves adorning the hands of a man in a lab coat with a vizor across his face. While its arrival made it the monster with the highest ATK on the field, Ryu knew Divine had to have something planned. Between the face-down and the card in his hand, he also likely had effects on the monsters on the field that he hadn't revealed yet.

"**Energy** activates, returning 1100 LP to me and placing one counter on itself!" Ryu said, his LP counter regenerating back to 3900 LP.

_\- Now -_

"**Overloader's** monster effect activates!" Ryu said. "By paying half my LP, I can Special Summon up to 2 **Reiki** monsters from my deck, but if I do, their effects are negated, and I cannot regain LP for the rest of this turn!"

Divine raised an eyebrow. "But then half of Energy's effect is rendered useless."

"Appear from my deck, **Reiki Beast**! (Lvl: 3/**ATK: 1400**/DEF: 800)," Ryu said, ignoring him. "And following beside him, appear, the Tuner monster, **Reiki Modulator**! (Lvl: 2/**ATK: 800**/DEF: 600)."

Ryu felt his body convulse slightly as his LP dropped to 1950, before **Beast** and **Modulator** appeared on his field. While he now had 4 monsters on his field, and **Energy** had 3 counters, gaining one from each of the monsters summoned, he knew he still had a way to go before he felt he could be secure in attacking his assailant. Feeling Ki still very much present, Ryu pressed on.

"I activate the effect of **Reiki Acolyte** in my hand!" Ryu said. "If my LP is lower than yours, I can Special Summon him! Come, **Reiki Acolyte**! (Lvl: 1/**ATK: 250**/DEF: 250)."

The new monster appeared on the far right, filling the only space left on Ryu's field as he appeared. Draped in brown robes that looked similar in nature to **Master's**, the light flicker of green energy came from the woman's eyes as she stood tall, weak in comparison to the other monsters on his field, but still an integral part of what was to come.

"5 monsters," Divine said as **Energy** gained its 4th counter. "Impressive."

Ryu huffed. "**Acolyte** can be treated as Level 2 for the purposes of a Synchro Summon," he said. "So now, I will tune my Level 2 **Modulator** with my Level 2 **Acolyte** and my Level 3 **Beast**! Energy within, unleash hell upon the battlefield! Become the fire that lights the path! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 7! **Reiki Berserker**! (**ATK: 2400**/DEF: 2400)."

3 became 1, and from the middle of them all stepped forth the mighty ogre, red in all its fury as its howled, the sound echoing through the warehouse as it shook the lights and the seemingly empty crates around them. It was also noticeably smaller than in a usual duel, but Ryu knew that was because of the old holographic system that likely existed within the platform. It could only create so large of an image.

"**Berserker**…" Divine whispered as he appeared. "I was not aware you had such a beast."

"Since it was Summoned with 3 monsters, I can use **Berserker's** Synchro Summon effect to destroy 3 of your cards!" Ryu said. "Also, by chaining **Energy** to this effect, you miss any timing window you might have had to negate this effect! I will target all 3 of your monsters, Divine!"

The man across from him finally showed some emotion. "**Death Divinator's** monster effect activates!" he said through gritted teeth. "As a Quick Effect, if a monster is sent from the field to the GY, I can, once per turn, either banish it or summon it to my field with its effects negated! Since your deck loves having cards banished, I will instead call **Reiki Beast** to my field! (Lvl: 3/ATK: 1400/**DEF: 800**)."

The chain worked backwards, and after **Beast** appeared on his field and **Energy** ticked over to a 5th counter, **Berserker** roared once more and let loose a crackling arc of red arcane energy, the beam ripping through the three monsters in quick succession. As the dust settled, Ryu scooped up his hand as the extra platform closed, and the light underneath his spell and trap zone, as well as his banished zone, faded away, the monsters allowing those effects now gone.

"You're stronger than I expected," Divine said.

"You don't know the half of it," Ryu said. "I now tune my Level 2 **Master** with my Level 6 **Overloader**! Energy within, give birth to a champion of passion! Become the fire that lights the path! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 8! **Reiki Warrior**! (**ATK: 2500**/DEF:2000)."

_\- Don't let up -_

"I won't," Ryu said as his monster appeared. "Along with **Energy** gaining its 6th counter, **Warrior** also gains ATK on Summon equal to the difference in our LP. In other words, he now has 4550 ATK!"

"There he is," Divine said, almost smiling. "Your ace monster."

"My ace?" Ryu asked.

"Of course," Divine said. "Every Spirited who duels always has an ace monster, one they can always turn to. This is yours."

"You know a lot about me."

"You've never kept yourself a secret."

Ryu scowled. "I activate a spell from my hand, **Reiki Fusion**!" he said, doing his best to ignore Divine's talking. "I banish **Overloader** and **Master** from my GY! Energy within, call forth the ruler of the hearts of men! Become the fire that lights the path! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 8! **Reiki Overlord**! (**ATK: 2600**/DEF: 1800)."

With Energy ticking over to 7th counter, the woman appeared on the left-hand side of **Warrior**, who stood in the centre with **Berserker** on the other side of him. While he now had the ATK strength to easily wipe out Divine as it stood now, Ryu couldn't help but dread whatever his face-down card was, knowing that since he hadn't already activated it, it had to be some kind of battle trap. Readying himself for the worst, Ryu felt Ki give him a nudge of encouragement, and with a deep breath, he prepared himself for the final leg of his combo.

"**Reiki Energy's** secondary effect now activates!" Ryu said. "As it now has 7 counters, I can use 6 of those to pay 1200 LP and summon **Overloader** back from the banished zone by destroying **Energy**! Appear once again, **Reiki Overloader**! (Lvl: 6/**ATK: 2200**/DEF: 2100)."

"Are you scared of something, Ryu?" Divine asked as the monster reappeared, Ryu LP dropping to 750.

"No," Ryu said, the continuous spell destroying itself. "You wanted to know what I could do? I'm showing you."

Divine smiled. "Good."

"I activate another spell card, **Reiki Connection**!" Ryu continued. "Since I control 2 or more **Reiki** monsters, I can Special Summon 1 Level 6 or lower banished **Reiki** monster, but its effects are negated! Re-appear, once more, the Tuner monster, **Reiki Master**! (Lvl: 2/ATK: 100/**DEF: 2100**)."

"Which will it be, I wonder?" Divine said. "**Archfiend** or **Warrior**!"

"Stop talking," Ryu said. "I tune my Level 2 **Master** with my Level 6 **Overloader**! Energy within, give birth to a champion of passion! Become the fire that lights the path! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 8! **Reiki Warrior**! (**ATK: 2500**/DEF:2000)."

Divine laughed a little as the second **Warrior** appeared, standing on the other side of **Berserker**. "You're angry, good," he said. "Unleash everything you have on me."

"**Warrior** gains 3250 ATK, meaning it now has 5750 ATK," Ryu said. "Additionally, I will banish **Overloader** from the GY with **Overlord's** effect, meaning she now has 4800 ATK until the end of this turn!"

_\- Now, Ryu -_

"Battle! **Berserker**, attack **Reiki Beast**!" Ryu commanded. "Red Rampage!"

The blast was quick, a massive, glowing red fist crushing **Beast** between the floor of the arena and itself, not even a whimper escaping from it as it vanished into thin air. Now with an empty field, Divine locked eyes with Ryu, who dared not blink as he readied his final assault.

"**Reiki Warrior**, attack him directly!" Ryu ordered. "Spirit Fist!"

"I activate my face-down trap card, **Divinator Uprising**!" Divine said, revealing the trap. "I can Special Summon 1 **Divinator** monster from my GY and re-direct the attack to that monster instead! Appear, **Monarch Divinator**! (Lvl: 9/ATK: 2750/**DEF: 2750**)."

**Warrior** attack continued as the new monster appeared. Looming larger than the others before it, it was a portly man, with regal clothing and a twelve-pointed crown that rested atop flowing brown hair. Eyes white, the symbol from before appeared on the forehead of the king, and as **Warrior** green fist slammed into it, the two erupted in a cloud of smoke. Returning to its spot of the field, Ryu gasped as moments later its cleared to show the **Monarch** still standing, and with 200 more ATK and DEF than before.

"What happened?" Ryu demanded.

"**Monarch** gains 200 ATK and DEF for every **Divinator** monster on the field, including itself," Divine said. "Additionally, for that attack only, it cannot be destroyed by battle, and you play with the top card of your deck revealed."

"But now I can kill it," Ryu whispered, glancing at the **Caller** that was on top of his deck. "My second **Warrior** will hit it again! Spirit Fist!"

"**Monarch Divinator's** monster effect activates!" Divine said. "A Quick Effect, if I control less monsters than you do, I can revive **Divinator** monsters from the GY once per turn to make up the difference!"

"A mass revival effect," Ryu said. "That's strong."

"Re-appear, **Death Divinator**! (Lvl: 4/ATK: 1450/**DEF: 1450**). **Combat Divinator**! (Lvl: 4/ATK: 1350/**DEF: 1350**). **Strategy Divinator**! (Lvl: 4/ATK: 1550/**DEF: 1550**)."

Ryu could only watch as the defeated monsters emerged from the ground once more, standing alongside their king as the monster that revived them gained another 600 ATK and DEF from its effect, raising the total to 3550. It was an impressive barrier, and from between the array of monsters on that side of the field, Ryu could tell Divine knew it too.

"Try and get through me now, Ryu," Divine said. "So much for your promise."

Ryu just smiled. "**Warrior**, continue your attack! Spirit Fist!"

The two duelists watched as the second **Warrior** cam crashed down, delivering a flurry of blows to the king as it bellowed in pain, soon erupting in a cacophony of yellow data. Once the dust had settled and the monster returned to his side of the field, Divine looked him in the eye once more.

"It's useless, Ryu," he said. "**Overlord** is the only one yet to attack, and even with her ability to do piercing damage, that's still not enough to defeat me this turn."

_\- Show him your power, Ryu -_

"**Berserker** can attack all monsters my opponent controls, once each, during each Battle Phase!" Ryu said.

Divine's eyes went wide. "That… can't…"

"Wipe them away, **Berserker**!" Ryu commanded. "Red Rampage!"

The ogre roared almost in delight as it leapt forward, shaking the foundation of the arena as it smashed **Combat** and **Strategy** with a fist each, landing between them with a thud that reverberated throughout the warehouse. Turning to **Death**, the monster seemed to try and cower away, but it was too little, too late, as the ogre roared, and a beam of red energy erupted from its mouth, burning the monster to ash over the course of a few moments.

"**Reiki Overlord**, end this and free me from this warehouse!" Ryu ordered, pointing a finger with an outstretched arm at Divine. "Spiralling Strike!"

Earning a nod from the woman, she ran forth just as **Berserker** began to right himself. With an unspoken connection between the two, **Berserker** leaned down, and with perfect timing, vaulted her high into the air, black armour glistening against the glow of the lights above as red energy began to coalesce around her. With a roar of fury, she left forth an eruption from her hands, 3 beams of red energy spinning around themselves before merging into one just as the beam hit Divine, causing him to scream as his LP began to fall to 0.

At that moment, Ryu heard a cracking sound, and suddenly the dampeners on either side of the field exploded, and he felt a rush he hadn't felt in a long time as the energy between himself and his monsters was joined for real, with nothing blocking the flow to keep the monsters summoned in a weakened state. With a roar of renewed energy, Overlord landed and continued the assault, Divine's LP finally hitting 0 as himself and the platform were ripped from where they were standing by the red energy. The two were sent flying into the far wall of the warehouse, bursting through wooden crates there and revealing duel doors, locked but forced open and revealing a corridor as the attack finally ended, the monsters vanishing as Ryu sucked in a breath. He hadn't been prepared to experience that kind of a rush.

_\- You're okay. Get your things, before he runs -_

Wordlessly, Ryu collected his deck and slotted it into his disk with practised precision, all his thoughts directed towards Divine as he slung his backpack over his shoulder and broke into a run. In moments he was there, spinning the trying-to-stand Divine to the ground with one leg against his throat, his body resting on his and pinning the man to the ground. From this position, he could see Divine was short on breath, blood pouring from his lips, a bit already on the floor from where he undoubtedly coughed up some in the short time it had taken Ryu to get to him.

"You're strong," Divine said with a small laugh that seemed to be more painful than he had hoped. "This is good. So good."

"Who do you work for?" Ryu demanded.

Divine's eyes rolled, as if losing focus. "You'll see soon enough, Ryu," he said. "Follow this corridor. It'll lead you out."

"No," Ryu said. "You're coming with me."

"Good luck with that."

In an instant, a purple ring appeared beneath Divine, and Ryu felt the man get ripped from his grasp, the hole closing on him before he had any time to react. Looking down at his now empty hands, Ryu slammed them into the concrete floor, his breathing growing harder as his blood boiled.

"Fucking shit," Ryu muttered.

_\- It's alright. We can report this to the Director -_

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right," Ryu said, standing up. "They'll know what to do. They will find Divine and bring him to justice."

_\- Indeed. We had better hurry back, just in case -_

Ryu looked down the corridor. "Do you think he was telling the truth, Ki?" Ryu asked.

_\- Only one way to find out -_

With a sigh, Ryu took one last look back to the warehouse. There was nothing he could do for now, except alert S.A. to what had happened and hope that what Divine said about seeing him again didn't come true. And so, shrugging his backpack once more, Ryu began walking down the corridor, and just like the man had said, he soon found himself face to face with an elevator of some kind. Pressing a button on it, it opened with a click, and upon entering, he could see there was only two options before him. Ground, and basement.

_\- Seemed he was an honest man after all -_

"Seems that way," Ryu said.

And with a push of a button, the doors closed on the elevator before the floor jolted upwards, returning Ryu to world above.

* * *

_**Coming Soon - End of the Beginning**_


End file.
